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THE 
EPISTLE 
St. PAUL THES APOSTLE 


TO THE 


ROMANS, 


WITH A 


Commentary anv Critical Motes, 


DESIGNED 


~ 


AS A HELP TO A BETTER UNDERSTANDING 
OF THE 
SACRED WRITINGS. 


. >>o<e- 
BY ADAM CLARKE, LL.D. F.S. A. 


Pew-Bork : 


PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY ABRAHAM PAT? ; 
72 NASSAU-STREET. 


asp eeeoavane 


PREFACE. Sch. R. 
TO THE Q Hct 


- EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS. 


"Tar St. Paul was the author of this epistle, and that it possesses 
every evidence of authenticity that any work of the kind can pos- 
sess; or that even the most fastidious scepticism can require; have 
been most amply proved by Dr. W. Paley, Archdeacon of Carlisle, 
in his work entitled ‘“ Hore Pauline; or, the Truth of the Scrip- 
ture History of St. Paul evinced, by a comparison of the epistles 
which bear his name, with the Acts of the Apostles, and with one 
another. 

Of this apostle I have spoken at large in the notes on the prece- 
ding book ; and especially in the cbservations at the close of the ninth 
chapter; to which I beg leave to refer the reader. It will be suffi- 
cient to state here that Saul, (afterward called Paul,) was bora in 
Tarsus, a city of Cilicia, of Jewish parents, who possessed the right 
of Roman citizens: (see the note on Acts xxii. 28.) that when young 
he wassent to Jerusalem for the purpose of receiving a Jewish edu- 
cation; that he was there put under the tuition of the famous Rabbi 
Gamaliel, and was incorporated with the sect of the Pharisees, of 
whose system he imbibed all the pride, self-confidence, and intole- 
rance; and distinguished himseif as one of the most inveterate ene- 
mies of the Christian cause; but being converted by a most singular 
interposition of Divine Providence and grace, he became one of the 
most zealous promoters and successful defenders of the cause which 
he had before so inveterately persecuted. 

Though this epistle is directed fo the Romans, yet we are not to 
suppose that Romans, in the proper sense of the word, are meant ; 
but rather those who dwelt af Rome, and composed the Christian 
church in that city: that there were among these, Romans, properly 
such, that is, heathens who had been converted to the Christian 
faith, there can be no doubt; but the principal part of the church 
in that city, seems to have been formed from Jews, sojourners at 
Rome; and from such as were proselytes to the Jewish religion. 

_ When, or by whom the Gospel was first preached at Rome, can- 
not be ascertained. Those who assert that St. Peter was its found- 
er, can produce no solid reason for the support of their opinion. 
Had this apostle first preached the Gospel im that city, it is not 
likely that such an event would have been unnoticed in the 4 ets of 


QORArCRe 


we 


iv PREFACE, 


the Apostles; where the labours of St. Peter are particularly de- 
tailed with those of St. Paul, which indeed form the chief subject 
of this book. Nor is it likely that the author of this epistle should 
have made no reference to this circumstance, had it been true. 
Those who say that this church was founded by these two apostles 
conjointly, have still less reason on their side; for it is evident, from 
chap. i. 8, &c. that St. Paul had never been at Rome, previously to 
his writing this epistle. It is most likely that no apostle was em- 
ployed in this important work; and that the Gospel was first preach- 
ed there by some of those persons who were converted at Jerusalem 
on the day of pentecost; for, we find from Acts ii, 10. that there 
were then at Jerusalem, strangers of Rome, Jews, and proselytes ; 
_ and these, on their return, would naturally declare the wonders 
they had witnessed; and proclaim that truth by which they them- 
selves had received salvation. Of Rome itself, then the metropolis 
of the world, a particular account has been given in the note on 
Acts chap. xviii. 16. to which the reader is requested to refer. 
The occasion of writing this epistle, may be easily collected from 
the epistle itself. It appears that St. Paul had been made acquainted 
with all the circumstances of the Christians at Rome, by means of 
Aquila and Priscilla, (see chap. xvi. 3.) and by other Jews who 
had been expelled from Rome by the decree of Claudius, (men- 
tioned Acts xviii. 2.) and finding that it was composed partly of hea- 
thens, converted to Christianity; and partly of Jews, who had with 
many remaining prejudices, believed in Jesus as the true Messiah ; 
and that many contentions arose from the claims of the Gentile con- 
verts to equal privileges with the Jews; and, from the absolute refusal 
of the Jews to admit these claims, unless the Gentile converts became 
circumcised, be wrote this epistle to adjust and settle these differences, 
Dr. Paley, with his usual perspicuity, has shows that the principle 
object of the argumentative part of the epistie, is, ‘To place the 
Gentile convert upon a parity of situation with the Jewish, in re- 
spect of his religious condition, and his rank in the Divine favour,’? 
The epistle supports this point by a variety of arguments; such as, 
~—Ist. That no man of either description, was justified by the works 
of the law—for this plain reason, that no man had performed them ; 
—2d. That it became therefore necessary to appoint another medium, 
or condition of justification, in which new medium the Jewish peculi- 
arity was merged and lost ;—3d. That Abraham’s own justification 
was antecedent to the law, and independent of it ;—4th. That the Jew- 
ish converts were to consider the law as now dead, and themselves as 
married to another ;—5th. That what the law in truth could not do, 
in that it was weak through the flesh, God had done by sending his 
Son ;—6th. That God had rejected the unbelieving Jews, and had 
substituted in their place, a society of believers in Christ; collected 
indifferently from Jews and Gentiles.—Therefore, in an epistle di- 
rected to Roman believers, the point to be endeavoured after by St. 
Paul, was to reconcile the Jewish converts to the opinion that the 
Gentiles were admitted by God to a parity of religious situation with 
themselves ; and that without their being obliged to keep the law 


PREFACE. v 


of Moses. In this epistle, though directed to the Roman church in 
general, it is in truth, a Jew, writing to Jews. Accordingly, as often 
as his argument leads him to say any thing derogatory from the Jew- 
ish institution; he constantly follows it by a softening clause. Hav- 
ing, chap. ii. 28, 29. pronounced ‘that he is not a Jew who is one 
outwardly; nor that circumcision which is outward in the flesh,”” he 
adds immediately, ‘‘ What advantage then hath the Jew? or what 
profit is there in circumcision? Much every way.’’ Having, in the 
third chap. ver. 28. brought his argument to this formal conclusion, 
<¢that a man is justified by faith, without the deeds of the law,” he 
presently subjoins, ver. 31, “ Do we then make void the law through 
faith? God forbid! Yea, we establish the law.” In the seventh chap. 
when in verse 6. he had advanced the bold assertion, “that now we are 
delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held;”’ in 
the next verse he comes in with this healing question, ‘* What shall 
we say then? Is the lawsin? God forbid! Nay, I had not known 
sin but by the law.’? Having, in the following words more than 
insinuated the inefficacy of the Jewish law, chap. viii. 3, “for what 
the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God 
sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sia, con- 
demning sin in the flesh;” after a digression indeed, but that sort of a 
digression, which he could never resist, a rapturous contemplation of 
his Christian hope, and which occupies the latter part of this chapter ; 
we find him in the next, as if sensible that he had said something 
which would give offence, returning to his Jewish brethren in terms 
of the warmest affection and respect; “I say the truth in Christ 
Jesus, I lie not > my conscience also beating me witness in the Holy 
Ghost, that I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart ; 
for I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my bre- 
thren, my kinsmen according to the flesh, who are Israelites, to whom 
pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the 
giving of the law,and the service of God, and the promises; whose are 
the fathers ; and of whom, as concerning the flesh, Christ came.’ 
When in the 31st and 32d verses of the ninth chapter, he represented 
to the Jews the error of even the best of their nation, by telling 
them that ‘Israel, which followed after the law of righteous- 
ness, had not attained to the law of righteousness, because they 
sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law, for 
they stumbled at that stumbling-stone ;”? he takes care to annex 
to this declaration, these conciliating expressions: ‘‘ Brethren, my 
heart’s desire, and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be 
saved; for bear them record, that they have a zeal of God, but 
not according to knowledge.’ Lastly, having, chap. x. 20, 21. by 
the application of a passage in Isaiah, insinuated the most ungrateful 
of all propositions to a Jewish ear, the rejection of the Jewish nation 
as God’s peculiar people; he hastens, as it were, to qualify the in- 
telligence of their fall by this interesting exposition: ‘I say then, 
hath God cast away his people, (i. e. wholly and entirely?) God for- 
bid! for I also am an Israelite of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of 
Benjamin. God hath not cast away his people which he foreknev ;*° 
1% 


RAVES 


vi PREFACE. 


and follows this thought throughout the whole of the eleventh chap- 
ter, in a series of reflections calculated to sooth the Jewish con- 
verts, as well as to procure from their Gentile brethren respect to 
the Jewish institution. Dr. Paley, drawing an argument from this 
manner of writing in behalf of the genwineness of this epistle, adds, 
‘*Now, all this is perfectly natural. Ina real St. Paul, writing to 
veal converts, it is, what anxiety to bring them over to his persua- 
sion, would naturally produce; but there is an earnesiness and a per- 
sonality, if I may so call it, in the manner, which a cold forgery, I ap- 
prehend would neither have conceived nor supported.’’ Hore Pau- 
line, p. 49, &c. 

From a proper consideration of the design of the apostle in wri- 
ting this epistle ; and from the nature and cireumstances of the persons 
to whom it was directed ; much light may be derived for a proper un- 
derstanding of the epistle itself. When the reader considers that the 
church of Rome was composed of heathens and Jews: that the latter 
were taught to consider themselves the only people on earth, to whom 
the Divine favour extended: that these alone had a right to all the 
blessings of the Messiah’s kingdom: that the giving them the law and 
the prophets, which had not been given to any other people, was 
the fullest proof that these privileges did not extend to the nations 
of the earth: and, that though it was possible for the Gentiles to be 
saved, yet it must be in consequence of their becoming circumcised, 
and taking on them the yoke of the law.—When, on the other hand, the 
reader considers the Roman Gentiles, who formed the other part of 
the church at‘ Rome, as educated in the most perfect contempt of 
Judaism, and of the Jews, who were deemed to be haters of all man- 
kind, and degraded with the silliest superstitions; and now evidently 
rejected and abandoned by that God in whom they professed to trust ; 
it is no wonder if, from these causes, many contentions and scandals 
arose ; especially at a time when the spirit of Christianity was but 
little understood ; and among a people too who do not appear to have 
had any apostolic authority established among them, to compose 
feuds, and settle religious differences. 

That the apostle had these things particularly in his eye, is evident 
from the epistle itself. His first object is to confound the pride both 
of the Jews and the Gentiles: and this he does by showing the for- 
mer that they had broken their own law, and consequently, forfeited 
all the privileges which the obedient had a right to expect :—he 
shows the latter, that however they might boast of eminent men, 
who had been an honour to their country ; nevertheless, the Gen- 
tiles, as a@ people, were degraded by the basest of crimes, and the 
lowest idolatry :—that, in a word, the Gentiles had as little cause 
to boast in their philosophers, as the Jews had to boast in the faith 
and piety of their ancestors; ‘for all had sinned, and come short of 
the glory of God.” This subject is particularly handled in the five 
first chapters; and often referred to in other places. , 

Concernin,; the time in which this epistle was written, there is not 
much difference of opinion: it is most likely that it was written 
about A. D. 58, when Paul was at Corinth, see chap. xvi. 22. con- 


PREFACE. wie 


ferred with 1 Cor. i. 14. and Rom xvi. 1. conferred with 2 Tim. iv. 
| -20. It appears from chap. xvi. 22. that Paul did not write this epis- 
tle with his own hand, but used a person called Tertius, as his ama- 
nuensis ; and that it was sent by the hands of Phoebe, a deaconess, 
(oveay diaexovov,) of the church of Cenchrea, which was the eastern 
port, on the Isthmus of Corinth. 

From internal evidence, Dr. Paley has demonstrated the authen- 
ticity of this epistle, and its existence in the ancient Antehierony- 
mian versions, and the Syriac, as well as its being mentioned by the 
Apostolic Fathers, Barnabas, chap. xii. 13. Clemens Romanus, Ep. 
i. c. i. 30, 32, 35, 46. Ignatius, Epist. ad Ephes. 20. ad Smyrn. |. 
ad Trall. 8. and Polycarp, 3 and 6. and by all succeeding writers, 
put it beyond all dispute. 

Of the fourteen epistles attributed to St. Paul, (thirteen only of 
which bear his name,) this has been reckoned the first in importance, 
though certainly not in the order of time ; for there is every reason 
to believe, that both the Epistles to the Thessalonians, that to the 
Galatians, those to the Corinthians, the first to Timothy, and that to 
Titus, were all written before the Epistle to the Romans. See the 
dates of the books of the New Testament, at the end of the intro- 
duction to the Gospels, &c. 

In the arrangement of the epistles, nothing seems to have been con- 
sulted besides the length of the epistle, the character of the writer, 
and the importance of the place to which it was sent. Rome, being 
the mistress of the world, the epistle to that city was placed first. 
Those to the Corinthians, because of the great importance of their 
city, next. Galatia, Ephesus, Philippi, Colosse, and Thessalonica, 
follow in graduated order. Timothy, Titus, and Philemon, succeed 
in the same way: and the Epistle to the Hebrews, because the au- 
thor of it was long in dispute, was placed at the end of the epistles 
of Paul, as being probably written by him. » James, as Bishop of Je- 
rusalem, precedes Peter; Peter precedes John, as the supposed chief 
of the apostles; and John the beloved disciple, Jude. The book of 
the Revelation, as being long disputed in the Christian church, was 
thrown to the conclusion of the New Testament Scriptures. The 
surats, or chapters of the Koran, were disposed in the same sort of 
order ; the longest being put first, and all the short ones thrown at 
the end, without any regard to the times in which it was pretended 
they were revealed. 

There have been some doubts concerning the language in which 
this epistle was written. John Adrian Bolten, endeavoured to prove 
that St. Paul wrote it ia Syriac, and that it was translated into Greek by 
Tertius ; but this supposition has been amply refuted by Griesbach. 
Others think that it must have been written originally in Latin, the 
language of the people to whom it was addressed; ‘‘ for although the 
Greek tongue was well known in Rome, yet it was the language of 
the great and the learned; and it is more natural to suppose that the 
apostle would write in the language of the common people, as those 
were most likely to be his chief readers, than in that of the great and 
the learned.” This argument is more specious than solid, 1, It is 


vill PREFACE. 


certain that at this time, the Greek language was very generaily cui- 
tivated in Rome, as it was in most parts of the Roman empire. Ci- 
cero pro Arch. 10, says, Greca leguntur in omnibus fere gentibus : 
Latina, suis finibus, exiguis sane continentur. * The Greek wri- 
tings are read in almost all nations; those of the Latin, within their 
own narrow limits.”” Tacitus, Orator. 29. observes, Vunc nalus in- 
fans delegatur Grecule alicui ancille. ‘ Now the new born child is 
put under the care of some Greek maid,” and this undoubtedly for 
the purpose of its learning to speak the Greek tongue. And Juve-_ 
nal, Sat. vi. ver. 184, ridicules this affectation of his countrymen, 
which in his time appears to have been carried to a most extraya- 
gant excess. 


Nam guid rancidius, gudm quod se non putat ulla 
Formosam, nisi gue de Tuscad Grecula facta est? 
De Sulmonensi mera Cecropis ? Omnia Greece, 
Oam sit turpe magts nostris nescire Lating. 

Tléc sermone pan ent, hoc Iram, Gaudia, Curas, 
Héc cuncta effundunt animi secreta. Guid ultra?— 


‘“For what so nauseous and affected too, 
As those that think they due perfection want 
Who have not learned to lisp the Grecian cant? 
In Greece their whole accomplishments they seek : 
‘Their fashion, breeding, language, must be Greek. 
But raw in all that does to Rome belong, 
They scorn to cultivate their mother-tongue. 
In Greek they flatter, all their fears they speak, 
Tell all their secrets, nay, they scold in @reck.’* Dryden. 


From these testimonies, it is evident, that the Greek was a common 
language in Rome in the days of the apostle; and that, in writing in_ 
this language, which he probably understood better than he did 
Latin, he consulted the taste and propensity of the Romans ; as well 
as the probability of his epistle being more extensively read, in con- 
sequence of its being written in Greek. . 

2. But were these arguments wanting, there are others of great 
weight, that evince the propriety of choosing this language in pre- 
ference to any other. The Sacred Writings of the Old Testament 
were, at that time, confined to two languages, the Hebrew and the 
Greek. The former was not known out of the confines of Palestine : 
the latter over the whole Roman empire ; and the Latia tongue ap- 
pears to have been as much confined to Italy as the Hebrew was to 
Judea. The epistle, therefore, being designed by the Spirit of God, 
to be of general use to the Christian churches, not only in Italy, but 
through Greece, and all Asia Minor, where the Greek language was 
spoken and understood; it was requisite that the instructions to be 
conveyed by it should be put in alanguage the most generally known ; 
and a language too which was then in high, and im daily increasing 
credit. 

3. As the Jews were the principal objects of this epistle, and they 
must be convinced of the truth of Christianity, from the evidence 
of their own Scriptures; and as the Greek version of the Septua- 
gint was then their universal text-book, in all their dispersions; it 


PREFACE. ix 


es ee ar gear 
with which they were best 2equaimted ; and m which ther ackuow- 
ledged Scriptures were contamed. irish seienlicntrucnntvenicie 
sive for 2 Greek and not a2 Latm origimal of thr: epitie. 
From the manne im which th epistle has been interpreted and 


and that the apostle is to be interpreted accordme to Mese, and not 
according to the apparent grammatical import of the 
which be employs. Ons both sde= the disputes have rum hich; the 
cause of truth ha: gamed little, ami Christian charity end candour 
bere been nearly lost. Dispassionate men on seeing this, have been 
oblized to exchim— 

———tentent cnimis celestibes tre? 

(Cem seach Serve 2e2] = bourcaly bosoms Ewell ? 
nas de eter en apes Sat 

25 important portion of the word of God m its true and resuine 

light; Dr. John Tzylor, of Norwich, a Gvime who yielded to few in 
benevolent 


command of temper. feeling, and with 
the Hebrew and S undertook the elucidation ef this 
much controverted epistle. The result of bis lsbours was a para- 


ee = am a or an Essay to explam the Goxpei Scheme, 
and the principal words and phrases the apostles have used m deseri- 
bing it.” 4to. 1769Hoarth edition. This Key, ee 
invaluable work ; and has dome great justice to the subject. Cuhris- 

fians, whether advocates for seneral or particular redempiion, might 
have derived great service from this work. in explaining the 
to the Romans; but the author’s creed, who was en -4riam, (for he 
—ioateae 


"To bring the abject of ths cpt before the render into the &ir- 
est and mest luminous peli. re apo , I think it right to 


x PREFACE. 


touched in this introductory Key, the reader need be under no ap- 
prehension that he shall meet with any thing in hostility to the ortho- 
doxy of his own creed. And it is thus far only I intend to quote or 
adopt any part of this Key. 


A Key To THE AposToLic WRITINGS: OR, AN Essay TO EXPLAIN 
THE GosPEL SCHEME, AND THE PRINCIPAL WoRDS AND PHRA- 
SES WHICH THE APOSTLES HAVE USED IN DESCRIBING IT. 


§ 1. On the Original and Nature of the Jewish Constitution 
of Religion. 


1. God, the Father of the universe, who has exercised his bound- 
less wisdom, power, and goodness, in producing various beings of dif- 
ferent capacities; who created the earth, and appointed divers cli- 
mates, soils, and situations in it, hath, from the beginning of the world, 
introduced several schemes and dispensations, for promoting the vir- 
tue and happiness of his rational creatures; for curing their corrup- 
tion, and preserving among them the knowledge and worship of him- 
Ee Be trae God, the possessor of all being, and the fountain of 

good. 

2. In pursuance of this grand and gracious design, when, about four 
hundred years after the flood, the generality of mankind were fallen 
into idolatry, (a vice, which in those times, made its first appearance 
in the world,) and served other gods, thereby renouncing allegiance 
to the one God, the Maker and Governor of heaven and earth; He, 
to counteract this new and prevailing corruption, was pleased, in 
his infinite wisdom, to select one family of the earth, to be a reposi- 
tory of true knowledge, and the pattern of obedience and reward 
among the nations. That, as mankind were propagated,.and idola- 
try took its rise, and was dispersed from one part of the world into 
various countries; so also, the knowledge, worship, and obedience 
of the true God, might be propagated and spread from nearly the 
same quarter; or, however, from those parts which then were most fa- 
mous and distinguished. To this family he particularly revealed him- 
self, visited them with several public and remarkable dispensations of 
providence ; and at last formed them into a nation, under his special 
protection: and governed them by laws delivered from himself; pla- 
cing them in the open view of the world, first in Egypt, and after- 
ward in the land of Canaan. 

3. The head, or root of this family, was Abraham, the son of Te- 
rah, who lived in Ur of the Chaldees, beyond the Euphrates; his 
family was infected with the common contagion of idolatry, as ap- 
pears from Joshua xxiv. 2,3, ‘¢ And Joshua said unto all the peo- 
ple, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Your fathers dwelt on the 
other side of the flood, (or river Euphrates,) in old time; even 
Terah, the father of Abraham, and the father of Nachor: and they 
served other gods. And I took your father Abraham from the other 
side of the flood,” &c. And the apostle Paul intimates as much, 
Rom. iy. 3,4, 5, ‘For what saith the Scripture? Abraham believed 


PREFACE. xi 


God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. Now to 
| him that worketh, is the reward not reckoned of grace, but'of debt. 
‘But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the 
ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.”” Abraham is the per- 
son he is discoursing about; and he plainly hints, though he did not 
care to speak out, that even Abraham was chargeable with not pay- 
ing due reverence and worship to God: as the word AZEBH2, 
which we render ungodly, properly imports. 

4. But though Abraham had been an idolater ; God was pleased, 
in his infinite wisdom and goodness, to single him out to be the head, 
or root of that family or nation, which he intended to separate to 
himself from the rest of mankind, for the fore-mentioned purposes. 
Accordingly, he appeared to him in his native country, and ordered 
him to leave it, and his idolatrous kindred; and to remove into a 
distant land, to which he would direct and conduct him; declaring, 
at the same time, his covenant, or grant of mercy to him, in these 
words, Gen. xii. 1, 2, 3, “‘1 will make of thee a great nation, and [ 
will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt bea bless- 
ing. And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that cur- 
seth thee ; and in thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed.” 
So certainly did God make himself known to Abraham, that he was 
satisfied this was a revelation from the one true God; and that it 
was his duty to pay implicit obedience to it. Accordingly, upon the 
foot of this faith, he went out, though he did not know whither he 
was to go.—The same covenant, or promise of blessings, God after- 
ward, at sundry times, repeated to him; particularly when it is said, 
Gen. xv. 5, “ And the Lord brought him forth abroad, and said, Look 
now towards heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number 
them: and he said unto him, so shall thy seed be.” Here again, 
“‘he believed in the Lord, and he counted it to him for righteous- 
ness.”” Also, Gen. xvii. 1—8, he repeats and establishes the same 
covenant “ for an everlasting covenant to be a God unto him and his 
seed after him ; promising them the land of Canaan, for an everlast- 
ing possession ; and appointing circumcision as a perpetual token of 
the certainty and perpetuity of this covenant. Thus Abraham was 
taken into God’s covenant, and became entitled to the blessings it 
conveyed; not because he was not chargeable before God with im- 
piety, irreligion, and idolatry; but because God on his part, freely 
forgave his prior transgressions ; and because Abraham, on his part, 
believed in the power and goodness of God; without which belief or 
persuasion, that God was both true and able to perform what he had 
promised, he could have paid no regard to the Divine manifestations ; 
and consequently must have been rejected as a person altogether 
improper to be the head of that family which God intended to set 
apart to himself. 

5. And as Abraham, so likewise his seed, or posterity, were at the 
same time, and before they had a being, taken into God’s covenant, 
and entitled to the blessings of it. (Gen. xvii. 7, I will establish my 
covenant between me and thee, and thy SEED AFTER THER, &c.} 
Not all his posterity, but only those whom God intended in the pro- 
mise; namely, first the nation of the Jews, who hereby became par- 


Mii PREFACE. 


ticularly related to God, and invested with sundry invaluabie privi- 
leges; and after them the believing Gentiles, who were reckoned the 
children of Abraham, as they should believe in God as Abraham did. 

6. For about two hundred and fifteen years, from the time God 
ordered Abraham to leave his native country, he and his son Isaac, 
and grandson Jacob, sojourned in the land of Canaan, under the spe- 
cial protection of Heaven, till infinite wisdom thought fit to send the 
family into Egypt, the then head-quarters of idolatry; with a design 
they shculd there increase into anation ; and there, notwithstandin 
the cruel oppression they long groaned under, they multiplied to Hy 
surprising number, At length, God delivered them from the servi- 
tude of Ezypt, by the most dreadful displays of his Almighty power ; 
whereby he demonstrated himself to be the one true God, in a signal 
and complete triumph over idols, even in their metropolis; and in a 
country of fame and eminence among all the nations round about. 
Thus freed from the vilest bondage, God formed them into a king- 
dom, of which he himself was king; gave them a revelation of his 
nature and will; instituted sundry ordinances of worship, taught 
them the way of truth and life; set before them various motives to 
duty, promising singular blessings to their obedience and fidelity, 
and threatening disobedience and apostasy, or revolt from his go- 
vernment, with very heavy judgments; especially that of being ex- 
pelled from the land of Canaan, and “scattered among all people, 
from one end of the earth unto the other,’’ in a wretched persecuted 
state, Deut. xxviii. 63—68. Lev. xxvi. 3, 4, &c. Having settled 
their constitution, he led them through the wilderness, where he 
disciplined them for forty years together; made all opposition fall 
before them; and, at last, brought them to the Promised Land. 

7. Here I may observe, that God did not choose the Israelites out 
of any partial regard to that nation, nor because they were beifer 
than other people, (Deut. ix. 4, 5.) and would always observe his 
laws. It is plain he knew the contrary. (Deut. xxxi. 29. xxxii. 5, 
6,15.) It was indeed with great propriety that, among other ad- 
vantages, he gave them also that of being descended from progeni- 
tors illustrious for piety and virtue; and that he grounded the ex- 
traordinary favours they enjoyed upon Abraham’s faith and obedi- 
ence, Gen. xxii. 16, 17, 18. But it was not out of regard to the 
moral character of the Jewish nation that God chose them; any 
other nation would have served as well on that account; but as he 
thought fit to select one nation of the world, he selected them out of 
respect to the piety and virtue of their ancestors. . Exod. iii. 15. vi. 
3,4, 5. Deut. iv. 37. 

8. It should also be carefully observed, that God selected the Js- 
raelitish nation, and manifested himself to them by various displays 
of his power and goodness: not principally for their own sakes, to 
make them a happy and flourishing people; but to be subservient to 
his own high and great designs with regard to all mankind. And 
we shall entertain a very wrong, low, and narrow idea of this select 
nation, and of the dispensations of God towards it, if we do not con- 
sider it as a beacon, or a light set upon a hill, as raised up to be a 


PREFACE. xiii 


public voucher of the being and providence of God, and of the truth 
| Ofthe revelation delivered to them in all ages, and in all parts of the 
' world; and consequently, that the Divine scheme, in relation to the 
| Jewish polity, had reference to other people, and even to us at this 
| day, as well as to the Jews themselves, The situation of this nation, 
lying upon the borders of Asia, Europe, and Africa, was very con- 
venient for such a general purpose. 

9. It is further observable, that this scheme was wisely calculated 
_ to answer great ends under all events. If this nation continued obe- 
_ dient, their visible prosperity under the guardianship of an extraor- 
_ dinary providence, would be a very proper and extensive instruc- 
_ tion to the nations of the earth. And no doubt so; for as they were 

obedient, and favoured with the signal interposition of the Divine 
| power; their case was very useful to their neighbours. On the 

other hand, if they were disobedient, then their calamities, and espe- 
 Cially their dispersions, would nearly answer the same purpose, by 
Spreading the knowledge of the true God and of revelation, in the 
_ countries where before they were not known. And so wisely was 
_ this scheme laid at first with regard to the laws of the nation; both 
civil and religious; and so carefully has it all along been conduct- 
ed by the Divine providence ; that it still holds good, even at this day, 
full 3600 years from the time when it first took place; and is still of 
public use for confirming the truth of revelation. I mean, not only 
as the Christian profession, spread over a great part of the world, 
has grown out of this scheme; but as the Jews themselves, in virtue 
thereof, after a dispersion of about 1700 years, over all the face of the 
earth, every where in a state of ignominy and contempt, have, not~ 
withstanding, subsisted in great numbers, distinct and separate from 
all other nations. This seems to me a standing miraele; nor can I 
assign it to any other cause, but the will and the extraordinary in- 
terposal of Heaven; when I consider that, of all the famous nations 
of the world, who might have been distinguished from others with 
great advantage, and the most illustrious marks of honour and re- 
nown, as the Assyrians, Persians, Macedonians, Romans, who all, in 
their turns, held the empire of the world, and were, with great am- 
bition, the lords of mankind; yet these, even in their own countries, 
the seat of their ancient glory, are quite dissolved ; and sunk into 
the body of mankind; nor is there a person upon earth can boast he 
is descended from those renowned and imperial ancestors. Whereas, 
a small nation, generally despised, and which was, both by pagans 
and pretended Christians, for many ages, harassed, persecuted, 
butchered, and distressed, as the most detestable of all people upon 
the face of the earth; (according to the prophecy of Moses, Deut. 
xxviii. 63, &c. see Dr. Patrick’s commentary upon that place,) and 
which, therefore, one would imagine, every soul that belonged to it 
should have gladly disowned; and have been willing the odious 
name should be entirely extinguished : yet, I say, this hated nation 
has continued in a body quite distinct and separate from all other 
people, even ina state of dispersion and grievous persecution, for 
about 1700 years; agreeably to the prediction, Isa. xlvi. 28. ‘1 will 

2 - 


i 


xiv PREFACE. 


make a full end of ail the nations whither I have driven thee; but 1 
will not male a full end of thee.”’ This demonstrates that the wis- 
dom which so formed them into a peculiar body, and the providence 
which has so preserved them; that they have almost ever since the 
deluge, subsisted in a state divided from the rest of mankind, and 
are still likely to do so, is not human but divine. For, no human 
wisdom nor power could form, or however could execute, such a vast. 
extensive design. Thus the very being of the Jews, in their present 
circumstances, is a standing public proof of the truth of revelation. 


$1f. The peculiar Honours and Privileges of the Jewish Nation, while 
they were the peculiar People of God: and the Terms signifying 
those Honours, explained. 


10. The nature and dignity of the foregoing scheme, and the state 
and privileges of the Jewzsh nation, will be better understood, if we 
carefully observe the particular phrases by which their relation to 
God, and his favours to them, are expressed in Scripture. 

11. As God, in his infinite wisdom and goodness, was pleased to 
prefer them before any other nation, and to single them out for the 
purposes of revelation, and preserving the knowledge, worship, and 
obedience of the true God; God is said to choose them, and they are 
represented as his. chosen or elect people: Deut. iv. 37. vii. 6. x. 15. 
““The Lord had a delight in thy fathers—and he chose their seed 
after them, even you above all people.”? 1 Kings iii. 8. “ Thy ser- 
vant is in the midst of thy people which thou hast chosen, a great 
people that cannot be numbered.” 1 Chron. xvi. 13, *O ye seed 
of Israel his servant, ye children of Jacob his chosen ones.’’ Psal. 
cv. 6. xxxili. 12,“ Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord; 
and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance ;”? cv. 
43. cvi. 5, * That I may see the good of thy chosen or elect, that I 
may rejoice in the goodness of thy nation ;” cxxxv. 4. Isa. xli. 8, 9. 
xliil. 20. xliv. 1, 2. xlv. 4, “* For Jacob my servant’s sake, and Israel 
mine elect, | have even called thee by thy name.” Ezek. xx. 5, 
“ Thus saith the Lord, In the day when J chose Israel, and lifted my . 
hand unto the seed of the house of Jacob, and made myself known 
unto them in the land of Egypt.’? Hence, reinstating them in their 
former privileges is expressed by choosing them again. Isa, xiy. 1, 
“ For the Lord will have mercy on Jacob, and will yet choose Israel, 
and set them in their own land,’’ Zech. i. 17. ii. 12. 

12. The first step he took in the execution of his purpose of elec- 
tion, was to rescue them from their wretched situation, in the servi- 
tude and idolatry of Egypt; and to carry them, through all enemies 
and dangers, to the liberty and happy state to which he intended to 
advance them. With regard to which, the language of Scripture is 
—1. That he delivered—2. Saved—3. Bought or purchased—4. Re- 
deemed them. Exod. iii. 8, ‘* And I am come down to deliver them 
out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them unto a good 
land.”’? So Exod. xviii. 8, 9, 10. Judg. vi. 8, 9. Exod. vi. 6, “I am 
the Lord. and I will bring you from under the burthens of the 


PREFACE. XY 


Egyptians, and I will rid (deliver) you out of their bondage.” So 
Exod. v. 23. 1Sam.x. 18. 

13. As God brought them out of Egypt; invited them to the honours 
and happiness of his people, and by many express declarations, and 
acts of mercy, engaged them to adhere to him, as their God ; he is 
said to call them, and they were his called. Isai-xli. 8, 9, “ But thou, 
Israel, art my servant—thou whom I have taken from the ends of 
the earth, and called thee from the chief men thereof.” See ver. 2. 
chap. li. 2. Hos. xi. 1, ‘* When Israel was a child, then I loved him, 
and called my son out of Egypt.” Isa. xlviii. 12, “Hearken unto 
me, O Jacob, and Israel, my called.” 

14. Andas he brought them out of the most abject slavery, and ad- 
vanced them to a new and happy state of being, attended with distin- 
guishing privileges, enjoyments, and marks of honour: he is said,— 
1. To create, make, and form them.—2. To give them life.—3. To 
have begotten them. Isa. xliii. 1, ‘* But thus saith the Lord that cre- 
ated thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not ;’’ 
ver. 5, “ Fear not, for I am with thee : I will bring thy seed from the 
east, and gather thee from the west :’’ ver. 7, “Even every one that 
is called by my name; for I have created him for my glory; I have 
formed him ; yea, I have made him :” ver. 15, “I am the Lord, your 
‘Holy One, the Creator of Israel, your King.’? Deut. xxxii. 6, “Do 
ye thus requite the Lord, O foolish people ?—Hath he not made thee, 
and established thee??? Ver. 15. Psal. cxlix. 2. Isa. xxvii. 11, “It is 
a people of no understanding; therefore, he that made them, will 
have no mercy on them ; and he that formed them will show them no 
favour.” xliii, 21. xliv. 1, 2, ‘Yet hear now, O Jacob, my servant, 
and Israel, whom I have chosen, thus saith the Lord that made thee 
and formed thee from the womb.’? Ver. 21, 24, “Thus saith the 
Lord thy Redeemer, and he that formed thee from the womb,” &c. 

15. Thus, as God created the whole body of the Jews, and made 
them to live, they received being or existence; Isa. Ixiii. 19, ““ We 
ARE ; thou hast never ruled over them, (the heathen,) they are not 
called by thy name.”? Or rather thus; ‘‘ We are of old; thou hast 
not ruled over them; thy Name hath not been called upon them.’’ 
‘It is in the Hebrew 3 nowp 8b Odiyp 1A Aayinu me-élam, lo ma- 
shalta bam ; and are therefore called by the apostle the things that 
ARE, in opposition to the Gentiles, who, as they were not formerly 
created in the same manner, were ¢he things which ARE NOT; 1 Cor. 
i. 28, ** God has chosen things which arE NOT, to bring to nought 
things that arr.” Further— 

16. As he made them live, and begat them, (1) He sustains the 
eharacter of a Father, and (2) they are his children, his sons and 
daughters, which were bornto him. Deut. xxxii.6, “‘ Do ye thus re- 
quite the Lord, O foolish people ?—Is he not thy father that hath 
bought thee 2” Isa. 1xiti. 16, “ Doubtless thou art our Father, though 
‘Abraham be ignorant of us, and Israel acknowledge us not: Thou 
O Lord, art our Father, our Redeemer,” &c. Jer. xxxi. 9, “For I 
am a Father to Israel, and Ephraim is my first-born.’’ Mal. ii. 10, 
“* Have we not all one father 2 hath not one God created us 2° 


xVi PREFACE. 


17. And as the whole body of the Jews were the children of one 
Father, even of God, this naturally established among themselves the 
mutual and endearing relation of brethren, (including that of sisfers,) 
and they were obliged to consider and to deal with each other accord- 
ingly. Lev. xxv. 46. Deut. i. 16. iii. 8. xv. 7, “If there be among 
you a poor man of one of thy brethren, thou shalt not harden thy heart, 
nor shut thy hand against thy poor brother,” xvii. 15. xviii. 15, xix. 
19. xxii. 1. xxiii. 19. xxiv. 14, Judg. xx. 13. 1 Kings xii. 24. [Acts 
xxii. 1.] And in many other places. 

18. Aud the relation of God, as a Father to the Jewish nation, and 
they his children, will lead our thoughts to a clear idea of their being, . 
as they are frequently called, the house or family of God. Num. xii. 
7, ‘*My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful i all my house.” 
1 Chron. xvii. 14, ‘I will settle him in my house, andin my kingdom 
for ever.” Jer. xii. 7, “I have forsaken my house, I have left my 
heritage.” Hos. ix. 15, ‘‘ For the wickedness of their (Ephraim’s) 
doings I will drive them out of my house, 1 will love them no more : 
all their princes are revolters.’’ Zech. ix. 8. Psal, xciii.5. And 
in other places, and perhaps frequently in the Psalms, xxiii. 6. 
Exvii. 4, &c. 

19. Further; the Scripture directs us to consider the land of Ca- 
naan as the estate or inheritance belonging to this house or family. 
Num. xxvi. 53. ‘* Unto these,” (namely, all the children of Israel,) 
*“‘the land shall be divided for an inheritance.’? Deut. xxiii. 23, 
“‘ That thy land be not defiled, which the Lord thy God giveth thee 
for an tnheriiance.” See the same in many other places. 

20. Here it may not be improper to take notice that the land of 
Canaan, in reference to their trials, wanderings, and fatigues in the 
wilderness, is represented as their rest. Exod. xxxiii. 14, ‘‘ My pre- 
sence shall go with thee, and I will give thee Rest.’ Deut. iii. 20. 
xii. 9, “For ye are not yet come to the rest, and to the inheritance 
which the Lord your God giveth you,” ver. 10. xxv. 19. Psal. xcv. 
11, “* Unto whom I sware in my wrath that they should not enter 
into my REST.”’ 

21. Thus the Israelites were the house, or family of God. Or we 
may conceive them formed iato a nation, having the Lord Jehovah, 
the true God, at their head; who, on this account, is styled their 
God, Governor, Protector, or King; and they his people, subjects, or 
servants. Exod. xix. 6, ‘‘ Ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, 
and a holy nation.’’ Deut. iv. 34, ‘Hath God essayed to go and 
take him a nation frorn the midst of another nation?” Isa, li. 4. 
‘¢ Hearken unto me, my people, and give ear unto me, my NATION.” 

22. And it is in reference to their being a society peculiarly appro- 
priated to God, and under his special protection and government, 
that they are sometimes called ihe city, the holy city, the city of 
the Lord, of God. Peal. xlvi. 4, ‘‘ There is a river, the streams 
whereof shall make glad the cify of our God: the holy place of the 
tabernacles of the Most High.%. ci. 8; “1 will early destroy all the 
wicked of the land, that | may cut off all the wicked doers from the 
city of the Lord.” Isa. xlviii. 1, 2, ‘ Hear ye this, O house of Jacob, 


PREFACE. xvii 


which are calied by the name of Israel: for they call themselves 
of the holy city, and stay themselves upon the God of Israel.” : 
' 23. Hence the whole community, or church, is denoted by the city 
Jerusalem, and sometimes by Zion, Mount Zion, the city of David. 
Isa. Ixii. 1, 6, 7, “1 have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem. 
which shall never hold their peace—and give him no rest, till he es- 
tablish, and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth :’’ xlvi. 18, 
19, “I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people :’”’ lxvi. 10. 
Ezek. xvi. 3,13. Joel iii. 17. Zech i. 14. vi. 3, &e. xiii. 1. “Isa. 
xxviii. 16. “ Thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I layim Zion fora 

ion,” &c. lxi. 3. Joel ii. 32. Obad. 17, “ Bat upon Mount 
Zion shail be deliverance,’’ &c. ver. 21. 

24, Hence also, they are said to be writien or enrolled in the book 
of God, as being citizens invested in the privileges and immunities of 
his kingdom. Exod. xxxii. 32, “Yet now, if thou wilt, forgive their 
sin: and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of the book that thou hast 
written.” Ver. 33, “And the Lord said—Whosoever hath sinned 
against me, him will I blot ont of my book.’? Ezek. xiii. 9. 

25. And it deserves our notice; that as the other nations of the 
world did not belong to this city, commonwealth, or kingdom of God, 
and so were not his subjecis and people, in the same peculiar sense as 
the Jews ; for these reasons, they are frequently represented as sfran- 
gers, and aliens, and as being not a people. And as they served other 
gods, and were generally corrupt in their morals, they have the cha- 
racter of enemies. Exod. xx. 10. Lev. xxv. 47, And if asojourner 
or aslranger wax rich by thee, and thy brother sell himself to the stran- 
ger.” Deut. xiv. 21, “*Thou mayest sell it to an alien.’ Isa. Ii. 
5, “ And strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, and the sons of 
the alien shall be your ploughmen.”” ‘ And in many other place=. 
Deut. xxxii. 21, “I will move them to jealousy with those which are 
not a people.” I[sa. vii. 8. Hos. i. 10. ii. 23, “1 will say to them 
which were not my people, Thou art my people: and they shall say, 
Thou art my God.’ Peal. lxxiv. 4, “Thine enemies roar in the 
midst of thy congregation :” Ixxviii. 66. lxxxiii. 2. lxxxix. 10. Isa. 
xiii. 13. lix. 18.—Rom. y. 10, “ When we were enemies, we were 
reconciled to God.”’? Col. i. 21. 

26. The kind and particular regards of God for the Israelites, and 
their special relation to him, is also signified by that of husband and 
wife ; and his making a covenant with them to be their God, is call- 
ed espousals. Jer. xxxi. 32, “ Not according to the covenant that I 
made with their fathers, in the day that I took them by the hand to 
bring them out of the land of Ezypt, (which my covenant they 
broke, although | was an husband unto them, saith the Lord,”’) iit. 
20. Ezek. xvi. 31, 32. Hos. ii. 2, “ Plead, (ye children of Judah, and 
children of \srael, chap. i. 2.) with your mother; plead, for she is 
not my wife, neither am I her husband ;” that is, for her wickedness, 
I have divorced her, (Isa. Ixii. 4. 5.) Jer. ii.2, “Go, and cry in the 
ears of Jerusalem, saying, thus saith the Lord, I remember thee, the 
kinduess of thy youth, the love of thine espousals ; when thou went- 
est afler me in the wilderness, in the land that was not sown :”” ifi- 

a= 


xviii PREFACE. 


14, ** Turn, O backsliding children, saith the Lord, for I am married 
unto you,” Isa. bxii, 4, 5. 

27. Hence it is that the Jewish church, or community, is repre- 
sented as a mother: and particular members as her children. Isa. i. 
1, * Thus saith the Lord, Where is the bill of your mother’s divorce- 
ment??? &c. Hos. ii. 2, 5, ‘* For their mother hath played the har- 
lot.”’ Isa. xlix. 17, “Thy children, (O Zion,) shall make haste,’? 
&c. Ver. 22, 25. Jer, v. 7. Ezek. xvi. 35, 36. Hos. iv. 6. “ My peo- 
ple are destroyed for lack of knowledge—seeing thou hast forgotten 
the law of God, I will also forget thy children.” 

28. Hence also, from the notion of the Jewish church being a wife 
to God, her husband ; her idolatry, or worshipping of strange gods, 
comes under the name of adultery and whoredom, and she takes the 
character of a harlot. Jer.iii. 8, ‘‘ And Isaw, when for all the causes 
whereby backsliding Israel, committed adultery :’? ver. 9, ‘* And it 
came to pass, through the lightness of her whoredom, that she defiled 
the land, and committed adultery with stones and with stocks ;” xiii. 
27. Ezek. xvi. 15. xxiii. 43. Jer. iii. 6, “‘ Backsliding Israel is gone 
up upon every high mountain, and under every green tree, and there 
has played the harlot.” 

29. As God exercised a singular providence over them, in supply- 
ing, guiding, and protecting them, he was their shepherd, and they 
his flock, his sheep. Psal. xxvii. 20. Ixxviii. 52. lxxx. 1, *¢ Give ear, 
O Shepherd of Israel: Isa. xl. 11, ‘‘He shall feed his flock like a 
shepherd :”’ _Psal. lxxiv. 1, ‘‘O God, why hast thou cast us off for 
ever? Why doth thine anger smoke against the sheep of thy pas- 
ture??? Ixxix. 13. xcy. 7. Jer. xiii. 17, ‘* Mine eye shall weep sore— 
—because the Lord’s fiock is carried captive.’’ See Ezek. xxxiv, 
throughout; and in many other places. 

30. Upon nearly the same account as God established them, pro- 
vided proper means for their happiness, and improvement in know- 
ledge and virtue, they are compared toa vine and a vineyard, and 
God to the husbandmen, who planted and dressed it; and particular 
members of the community are compared to branches. Psal. Ixxx.. 
8, ‘* Thou hast brought a vine out of Egypt; thou hast east out the 
heathen and planted it;’’ ver. 14. ‘‘ Return, we beseech thee, O 
Lord of Hosts; look down from heaven, behold and visit thy vine : 
and the vineyard which thy right hand has planted.’ Isa. v. 1, * Now 
I will sing to my well-beloved a song, touching his vineyard: my 
well-beloved has a vineyard in a very fruitful hill:” ver. 2, ** And 
he fenced it,’? &c. ver. 7, “For the vineyard of the Lord—is the 
house of Israel ;?) Exod. xv. 17. Jer. ii. 21. Psal. Ixxx. 11, “ She 
sent out her boughs unto the sea, and her branches unto the river ;” 
Isa. xxvii. 9, 10, 11, ‘¢ By this shall the iniquity of Jacob be purged ; 
—yet the defended city shall be desolate—there shall the calf feed— 
and consume the branches thereof. When the boughs thereof are 
withered, they shall be broken off; the women come, and set them 
on fire: for it is a people of no understanding; therefore he that made 
them will have no mercy on them; Jer. xi. 16, “The Lord hath. 
called thy name a green olive tree, fair, and of goodly fruit,”” &c. 


PREFACE. xix 


Ezek. xvii. 6. Hos. xiv. 5, 6. Nahum. ii. 2. and in many other pla- 
ces. (Rom. xi. 17, “ And if some of the branches were broken off” 
&c. ver. 18, 19, “* Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off 
that I might be grafted in.”) 

31. As they were, by the will of God, sef apart, and appropriated 
in a special mamner to his honour and obedience, and furnished with 
extraordinary means and moiives to holiness ; so God is said to sanc- 
tify or hallow them. Exod. xxxi. 13, ‘Speak unio the children of 
Israel, saying, Verily my Sabbaths ye shall keep; for it is.a sign be- 
tween me and you, throughout your generations ; that ye may know 
that Iam the Lord, that doth sanctify you;” Ezek. xx. 12. Ley. 
xx. 8, ‘‘And ye shall keep my statutes, and do them; for I am the 
Lord which sanctify you :”” xxi. 8. xxii. 9, 16,32. Ezek, xxxyvii. 28. 

32. Hence it is that they are styled a holy nation, or people, and 
saints; Exod. xix. 6, “And ye shall be to me—a holy nation; 
Deut. vii. 6, ‘‘ For thou art a holy people unto the Lord thy God ;”? 
xiv. 2. xxvi. 19. xxxili.3. 2Chron. vi. 41, “Let thy priests, O 
Lord God, be clothed with salvation, and let thy sainés rejoice in 
goodness.” Psal. xxxiv. 9, ‘‘O fear the Lord, ye his sainis :” 1. 5, 
“ Gather my saints together unto me:”? ver. 7, ** Hear, O my peo- 
ple,” &c. lxxix. 2. cxlviii.14, ‘ He also exalteth the horn of his 
ple, the praise of his sainés ; even of the children of Israel,” &c. 

33. Further, by his presence among them, and their being conse- 
crated to him, they were made his house, or building, the sanctuary 
which he built. And this is implied by his dwelling and walking 
amongst them. Psal. cxiv. 2, “ Judah was his sanctuary, and Israel 
his dominion :” Isa. lvi. 3, ‘‘ Neither let the son of the stranger, that 
hath joined himself to the Lord, speak, saying, The Lord hath utterly 
separated me from his people :” ver. 4. ‘‘ for thus saith the Lord :”’ 
ver. 5, ‘Even unto them will I give in my Aouse, and within my 
walls, a place, and a name.” Jer. xxxiii. 7, “‘ And I will cause the 
captivity of Judah, and of Israel, to return, and will build them as 
at the first.”,—Amos ix. 11, “I will raise up the tabernacle of David 
-—I will raise up its ruins, and will bud/d it as in the days of old.” 
Exod. xxy. 8, ‘‘ And let them,” the children of Israel, ‘‘make me 
a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them,” xxix. 45, 46,“ And I 
will dwell among the children of Israel, and will be their God,” &c. 
Lev. xxxvi. 11, 12, “‘And I will set my tabernacle among you :— 
And I will walk among you, and will be your God, and ye shall be 
my people.’ Numb. xxxv. 34. 2Sam. vii. 7. Ezek. xliii. 7, 9, 
«< And he said unto me—the place of my throne, and the place of the 
soles of my feet, where I dwell in the midst of the children of Is- 
rael,”? &c. Hence we may gather, that dwell, in such places, im- 
ports to reign; and may be applied figuratively to whatever governs 
in our hearts, Rom. vii. 17, 20. viii. 9, 11. 

34. And not only did God, as their king, dwell among them as in 
"his house, temple, or palace ; but he also conferred upon them, the 
honour of kings, as he redeemed them from servitude, made them 
lords of themselves, and raised them above other nations to reign 
over them: and of priests too, as they were to attend’upon God, 


Xx PREFACE. 


from time to time continually, in the solemn offices of religion, which 
he had appointed. Exod. xix. 6, ‘‘And ye shall be unto me a king- 
dom of priests,” or a kingly priesthood. Deut. xxvi. 19, ‘* And to 
make thee high above all nations—in praise, and in name, and in ho- 
nour, and that thou mayest be a holy people unto the Lord thy God,” 
Exviii. 1. xv. 6, ‘‘For the Lord thy God blesseth thee—and thou 

_shalt reign over many nations.” Isa. lxi. 6, “But ye (the seed of 
Jacob) shail be named the priests of the Lord; men shall call you 
the ministers of our God :??— i 

35. Thus the whole body of the Jewish nation were separated unto 
God. And as they were more nearly related to him than any other 
People, as they were joined to him in covenant, and felt access to 
him in the ordinances of worship, and in virtue of his promise, had a 
particular title to his regards and blessings, he is said to be near unto 
them, and they unto him. Exod. xxxiii. 16. Lev. xx. 24, “Iam 
the Lord your God, who have separated you from other people :’’ 
ver. 26. 1 Kings viii. 52, 53. Deut. iv. 7, ** For what nation is there 
so great that hath God so near unto them, as the Lord our God is in 
all things that we call upon him for?” Psal. cxlviii. 14, ‘* The chil- 
dren of Israel, a people near unto him.” 

36. And here I may observe, that as the Gentiles were not then 
taken into the same peculiar covenant with the Jews, nor stood in 
the same special relation to God, nor enjoyed their extraordinary 
religious privileges, but lay out of the commonwealth of Israel, they 
are, on the other hand, said to be far off. Isa. lvii. 19, “I create the 
fruit of the lips; peace, peace to him that is far off, and to him that 
is near, saith the Lord, and I will heal him.” Zech. vi. 15, * And 
they that are far off shall come and build in the temple.” Eph. ii. 
17, “And came and preached to you, (Gentiles) which were afar 
off, and to them that were nigh,” (the Jews.) 

37. And, as God had, in all these respects, distinguished them from 
all other nations, and sequestered them unto himself, they are styled 
his peculiar people: Deut. vii. 6, “ The Lord hath chosen thee to be 
a special, (or peculiar) people, unto himself: xiv.2,*The Lord . 
hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto himself above all the 
nations that are upon the earth ;” xxvi. 18. 

38. As they were a body of men particularly related to God, in- 
structed by him in the rules of wisdom, devoted to his service, and 
employed in his true worship, they are called his e ation, or 
church. Num. xvi.3. xxvili.17. Josh. xxii. 17. 1 Chron. xxviii. 
8, “ Now, therefore, in the sight of all Israel the congregation, (the 
church,) of the Lord.’ Peal. Ixxiv. 2. 

39. For the same reason, they are considered as God’s possession, 
inheritance, or heritage. Deut. ix. 26, “O Lord, destroy not thy 
people, and thine inheritance.”’ Ver. 29. Psal. xxxiii. 12. exvi. 40. 
Jer. x. 16. xii. 7, “I have forsaken my house, I have left my herit- 
age. I have given the dearly beloved of my soul into the hands of 
her enemies.”? And in many other places. 


PREFACE. uxt 


$l. Reflections on the foregoing Privileges and Honourz. 


40. Whether I have ranged the foregoing particulars in proper 
order, or given an exact account of each, let the studious of Scrip- 


The Lord Jehovah was the od, Kies Beate Father, Husband, 
+ al eag tothem ary. He = an bought, redeemed ; he ereated, 
be he made, he planted, &c. them atu. And they were sLL 
his people, nation, heritage ; his children, spouse, flock, vineyard, ger 
They all had a right to the ordinances of worship, to the 
God’s Tee ar atid he at ee, 
ALL en enjyed the protection and special favours of God in the wilder- 
ness, till they had forfeited them: aLL ate of the manna, and aLL 
of the water out of the rock, &c. That these privileges and 


the whole community, without exception. 

41. And that all these privileges, honours, and advantages, were 
Serene: vite atin.» by thi i 
tion : that they were ere the effect of God's free grace, without regard 


; assigned 
love as the spring from whence they fowed; and the dona- 
of those benefits is expressed by God’s loving them: they are 
also assigned to God’s mercy, and the bestowing of them is expressed 
by God’s showing them mercy. Dent. ix. 4, 5,6, “ Speak not thon 
in thy heart, after that the Lord has c2st them out before thee. say- 
my 
ot 


q 


seg” gat a the Lord hath brought me in to possess this 


Be Sta peecn ther oa. * Understand, therefore, that the 

; giveth thee not this good land to possess it for thy 

righteousness ; SS Aree nerked pergie 

vii. 7, * The Lord did not set his love upon you, nor 
sé you, because ye were more in number than eee 

V See heteae tan Laed loved you, ond Maman he went 

keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers; hath the Lord 

brought you out” (of Egypt.) xxxiii. 3, « He loved the people.’ 

Isa. xiii. 3,4. Jer. xxxi.3. Hos.ii. 1. im 15. 

-43. Its on account of this general love to the ba ey taped 


may be deleneged, save with thy right hand, aad bear me.” ook 
cyui.6. Jer. xi. 15, “ What hath my beloved todo in my house, see- 
ing she hath wrought lewdness with many?’ xii. 7, “I have forsa- 
ken my house, [have given the dearly belored of my soul into the 
hands of my enemies,” (and in their present condition at this day the 
Jews are still, in a sense, beloved, Rom. xi. 23.) 44. Exod xy. 12, 
“ Thon, in thy mercy, hgst led forth the people which thou hast re- 
deemed,” Kc. Peal. xcvii.3. Isa. liv. 10. Mic. yu. 20, “ Thon 


xxii PREFACE. 


shalt perform the truth to Jacob and the mercy to Abraham, which 
thou hast sworn unto our fathers from the days of old.” Luke i. 54,55, 
* He hath holpen his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, as 
he spake to our fathers, to Abraham and his seed for ever.” Agree- 
ably to this he showed them mercy, as he continued them to be his 
people, when he might have cut them off. ° Exod. xxxiii. 19, “I will 
be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will show mercy on 
whom I will show mercy.” And when, after their present state of 
rejection, they shall again be taken into the church, this too is ex- 
pressed by their oblaining mercy. Rom. xi. 31. 

45. In these texts, and others of the same kind, it is evident the 
love 20d mercy of God hath respect not to particular persons among 
the Jews, but to the whole nation ; and therefore is to be understood 
of that general love aud mercy whereby he singled them out to be a 
peculiar nation to himself, favoured with extraordinary blessings. 

46. And it is with regard to this sentiment and manner of speech, 
that the GENTILEs, who were not distinguished in the same manner, 
are said not to have obtained mercy. Hos. ii. 23, “ And I will sow 
her unto me in the earth, and I will have mercy upon her that had 
not vblained mercy, and I will say to them which were not my people, 
Thou art my people; and they shall say, Thou art my God.” 

47. Further; it should be noted, as a very material and important 
circumstance, that all this mercy and love were granted and con- 
firmed to the Israelites under the sanction of a covenant; the most 
solemn declaration and assurance, sworn to and ratified by the oath 
of God. Gen. xvii. 7, 8, “ And I will establish my covenant between 
me and thee, and thy seed after thee, in their generations, for an 
everlasting covenant ; to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after 
thee. And JI will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land 
wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everiast- 
ing possession ; and I will be their God.’’ Gen. xxii. 16,17, 18, “By 
myself have I sworn, saith the Lord, for because thou hast done this 
thing, that in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will mul- 
tiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is- 
upon the sea-shore, and thy seed shall possess the gate of his ene- 
mies ; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; 
because thou hast obeyed my voice.” This covenant with Abraham 
was the Magna Charta, the basis of the Jewish constitution, which 
was renewed afterward with the whole nation ; and is frequently re- 
ferred to as the ground and security of all their blessings. Exod. vi. 
3,7, “TI appeared unto Abraham, Isaac,”? &c. “And I have also 
established my covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan. 
I have also heard the groaning of the children of Israel, and I have 
remembered my covenant, and I will take you to me for a people, and 
T will be to you a God.’’ Deut. vii. 8. Psal. cv. 8,9, 10, “He hath 
remembered his covenant for ever, the word which he commanded to 
a thousand generations. Which covenant he made with Abraham, 
and his oath unto Isaac, and confirmed the same unto Jacob for a 
law, and to Israel for an everlasting CovewanT.” Jer. xi, 5. Ezek. 
xvi. 8. xx. 5. ‘ 


PREFACE. XXHL 


48. But, what most of all deserves our attention is this; that the 
Sewish constitution was a scheme for promoting viriue, true religion, 
or a good and pious life. In all the, fore-mentioned instances they 
were very happy. But were they torestin them? Because these 
blessings were the gift of love and mercy, without respect to their, 
righteousness or obedience; was it therefore needless for them to be 
obedient? or were they, purely on account of benefits already re- 
ceived, secure of the favour and blessing of God for ever? by no 
means. And that I may explain this important point more clearly, 
I shall distinguish their blessings into antecedent and consequent, and 
show, from the Scriptures, how both stand in relation to their duty. 
' 49. Antecedent blessings are all the benefits hitherto mentioned, 
which were given by the mere grace of God, antecedently to their 
obedience, and without’ respect to it; but yet so that they were in- 
_ tended to be motives to obedience. Which effect if they producd, 
then their election, redemption, and calling were confirmed, and they 
were entitled to all their blessings, promised in the covenant ; which 
blessings I therefore call consequent, because they were given only in 
consequence of their obedience. But, on the other hand, if the ante- 
cedent blessings did not produce obedience to the will of God ; if his 
chosen people, his children, did not obey his voice, then they forfeited 
all their privileges, all their honours and relations to God, all his 
favours and promises, and fell under the severest threatenings of his 
wrath and displeasure. Thus life itself may be distinguished into, 
I. Aniecedent, which God gives freely to all his creatures of his mere 
good will and liberality, before they can have done any thing to de- 
serve it. II. Consequent life; which is the continuance of life in 
happy circumstances, and has relation to the good conduct of a ra- 
tional creature. As he improves life antecedent, so he shall, through 
the favour of God, enjoy life consequent. 

50. And that this was the very end and design of the dispensation 
of God’s extraordinary favours to the Jews, namely, to engage them 
to duty and obedience ; or that it was a scheme for promoting virtue, 
is clear beyond all dispute, from every part of the Old Testament. 
Note, I shall make Ant. stand for antecedent, love or motives; Cons. 
for consequent love or reward: and Tur. for threatening. Gen. 
xvii. 1, (4nt.) “I am God, All-sufficient, (Duty) walk thou before 
me, and be thou perfect.’ Verse 4, 8, (.4nt.) “I will be a God 
unto thee, and thy seed after thee. And I will give unto thee and 
unto thy seed, the land of Canaan, and I will be their God.” Verse 9, 
(Duty) “ Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou and thy seed 
after thee.’ Gen. xxii. 16, 18, (Duty) “ Because thou hast done 
this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son, because 
thou hast obeyed my voice.”? Werse 16, 17, (Cons.) “ By myself 
have J sworn, saith the Lord, that in blessing, I will bless thee, and 
in multiplying, I will multiply thy seed as the stars of heaven, and 
thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies, and in thy. seed shall 
all the nations of the earth be blessed.’’ 

51. Here let it be noted, that the same blessings may be both con~ 
sequent and antecedent with regard to different persons, With 


XxiV PREFACE. 


regard to Abraham, the blessings promised in this place, (Gen. xxii. 16, 
17, 18.) are consequent, as they were the reward of his obedience, 
“ because thou hast obeyed my voice.” But with regard to his pos- 
terity, these same blessings were of the antecedent kind; because, 
though they had respect to Abraham’s obedience: yet, with regard 
to the Jews, they were given freely or antecedently to any obedience 
they had performed. So the blessings of redemption, with regard to 
our Lord’s obedience, are consequent; but with regard to us, they 
are of free grace and antecedent, not owing to any obedience of ours, 
though granted in consequence of Christ’s obedience. Phil. ii. 8, 9, 
&c. Eph. i. 7. Heb. v. 8, 9. Nor doth the donation of blessings 
upon many in consequence of the obedience of one, at all diminish 
the grace, but very much recommends the wisdom that bestows 
them. 

52. Isa. xiii. 7, 21, (Ant.) ‘‘ This people have I made for myself, 
(Duty) they shall show forth my praise.” 

Jer. xiii. 11. Lev. xx. 7, 8, (Ant.) “1 am the Lord your God, lam 
the Lord which sanctify you. (Duty) Sanctify yourselves therefore, 
and be ye holy, and ye shall keep my statutes and do them.” 

Deut. iv. 7, 8, (4nt.) “ What nation is there so great, who hath 
God so nigh them, as the Lord our God is? And what nation is there 
so great, that hath statutes and judgments so righteous,” &c. Verse 
9, (Duly) * Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, 
lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen.” 

Verse 20, (4nt.) “ The Lord hath taken you forth out of the iron 
furnace, even out of Egypt, to be unto him a people of inheritance, 
as ye are at this day.’’ Verse 23, (Duty) “ Take heed unto your- 
selves, lest ye forget the covenant of the Lord your God.’’ Verse 
24, (Thr.) “ For the Lord thy God is a consuming fire.” Verse 25, 
¢* When ye shall corrupt yourselves, and do evil in the sight of the 
Lord thy God.” Verse 26, “I call heaven and earth to witness, 
that ye shall soon utterly perish from off the land.” : 

Verse 34. (Ant.) “‘ Hath God essayed to go, and take him a nation 
from the midst of another nation, by signs and wonders,’’ &c. &c, - 
Verse 39, (Duty) ‘‘ Know therefore this day, and consider it im thy 
heart, that the Lord he is God in heaven above, &c. Thow shalt 
keep, therefore, his statutes and his commandments, (Cons.) that it 
may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee,’ &c. 

Deut. v. 6, (4nt.) “I am the Lord thy God, which brought thee 
out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.” Verse 7, 
(Duty) “ Thou shalt have no other gods before me,” &c. Verse 29, 
“O that there were such a heart in them that they would fear me 
and keep all my commandments always, (Cons.) that it might be 
well with them, and with their children for ever.” Verse 33, (Duty) 
* You shall walk in all the ways which the Lord your God hath com- 
pended you, (Cons.) that ye may live, and that it may be well with 
you,” Xe,” . wy 

Chap. vi. 21, (Ant.) “We were Pharaoh’s bondmen, and the 
Lord brought us out of Egypt,’ &c. Verse 24, (Duty) “ And the 
Lord commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the Lord our 


PREFACE. XEV 


God, (Cons.) for our good always, that he might preserve us 
alive,’? &c. 

Chap. vii. 6, 7, 8, (Ant.) “ Thou art a holy people unto the Lord 
thy God ; the Lord thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people 
unto himself; the Lord loved you and redeemed you out of the house 
of bondmen.” Verse 9, (Duty) “ Know therefore that the Lord thy 
God he is God,” &c. Verse 11, * Thou shalt therefore keep the com- 
mandments, and the statutes, and the judgments, which I command 
thee this day to do them.’’ Verse 12, 13, 18, (Cons.) ‘“* Wherefore 
it shall come to pass, if ye hearken to these judgments, and keep and 
do them, that the Lord thy God shall keep unto thee the covenant 
and the mercy which he swore unto thy fathers. And he will love 
thee, and bless thee, and multiply thee,’ &c. 

Chap. viii. 2, (4nt.) ‘Thou shalt remember all the way which 
the Lord thy God led thee,” &c.- Verse 5, “ Thou shalt also consi- 
der in thy heart, that as a man chasteneth his son, so the Lord thy 
God chasteneth thee.” Verse 6, (Duty) ‘Therefore thou shalt 
keep the commandments of the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, 
and to fear him.” Verse 11, ‘Beware that thou forget not the 
Lord thy God,”’ &c. Verse 19, (Thr.) ‘ And it shall be, if thou do at 
all forget the Lord thy God, and walk after other gods, I testify 
against you this day, that ye shal] surely perish.”’ ; ; 

Chap. x. 15, (4nt.) ‘The Lord had a delight in thy fathers to 
love them, and he chose their seed after them, even you above all 
people.’’ Verse 12, 16, (Duty) ‘«Circumcise therefore the foreskin 
of your heart,’’ &c. 

Verse 22, (Ant.) “ Thy fathers went down into Egypt, with three- 
score and ten persons, and now the Lord thy God hath made thee 
as the stars of heaven for multitude.” Chap. xi. 1, (Duty) ‘* There- 
fore shalt theu love the Lord thy God, and keep his charge,” &c. 
Verse 13, ** And it shall come to pass, if ye shall hearken diligently 
unto my commandments,’’? &c. Verse 14, (Cons.) “ That ¥ will 
give you the rain of your land,” &c. Verse 26, ‘‘ Behold I set be- 
fore you this day a blessing and a curse. A blessing, if you obey the 
commandments of the Lord; and a curse, if ye will not obey,” &c. 
Chap. xii. 28, (Duty) ‘Observe and hear all these words which I 
command thee, (Cons.) that it may go well with thee and thy children 
after thee for ever, when thou hast done that which is good and 
right in the sight of the Lord thy God.” 

Chap. xiii. 17, 18. xv. 4, 5. xxvii. 9, (4ni.) “Take heed and 
hearken, O Israel, this day thou art become the people of the Lord 
thy God.” Verse 10, (Duty) “Thou shalt therefore obey the voice 
of the Lord thy God, and do his commandments,” &c. - Chap. xxviii. 
1, “And it shall come to pass, if thou hearken diligently unto the 
voice of the Lord thy God, to observe and to do his commandments, 
(Cons.) That the Lord will set thee on high above all nations of the 
earth. And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake 
thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God. 
Blessed shalt thou be in the city,’ &c. Verse 15, (TAr.) ** But it 
shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the yoice of the 

3 


XXVi PREFACE. 


Lord thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments, and his 
statutes, that all these curses shall come upon thee and overtake 
thee,” &c. Verse 45, ‘‘ Moreover, all these curses shall come upon 
thee till thou be’ destroyed, because thou hearkenedst not unto the 
voice of the Lord thy God.’’ Chap, xxix. 2, 10. xxx. 15, 18, (Duty) 
“ See, I have set before you.this day life and good, and death and evil ; 
in that I command thee this day to love the Lord thy God, to walk 
in his ways, and to keep his commandments, and his statutes, and his 
judgments, (Cons.) that thou mayest live and multiply; andthe Lord 
thy God shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it. 
(Thr.) But if thine heart turn away, so that thou wilt not hear, but 
shalt be drawn away and worship other gods, and serve them, I de- 
nounce unto you this day that ye shall surely perish.’” 

Whosoever peruses the first sixteen, and the 28th, 29th, 30th, 
3st, and 32d, chapters of Deuteronomy, will clearly see, that all 
the privileges, honours, instructions, protections, &c. which were 

iven them as a select body of men, were intended as motives to obe- 

ience; which, if thus wisely improved, would bring upon them still 
further blessings. Thus God drew them to duty and virtue by his 
lovingkindness. Jer. xxxi. 3, ‘‘ He drew them with cords of a man,” 
such considerations as are apt to influence the rational nature, “and 
with the bands of love,”’ Hos. xi. 4. But if they were disobedient, 
and did not make a right use of God’s benefits and favours, then they 
were subjected to a curse, and should perish. And this is so evident 
from this single book that I shall not need to heap together the nu- 
merous quotations which might be collected from other parts of 
Scripture, particularly the prophetic writings. Only I may further 
establish this point by observing—that,"in fact, though all the Israel- 
ites in the wilderness were the people, children, and chosen of God; 
all entitled to the Divine blessing, and partakers of the several in- 
stances of his goodness; yet, notwithstanding all their advantages 
and honours, when they were disobedient to his will, distrustful of his 
power and providence, or revolted to the worship of idol gods, great 
numbers of them fell under the Divine vengeance, Exod. xxii. 8, 27, 
28. Numb. xi. 4, 5, 6, 33. xvi. 2, 3, 32, 35, 41, 49. xxi. 5,6. And 
though they had ail a promise of entering into the land of Canaan, 
yet the then generation, from twenty years old and upwards, for their 
unbelief, were, by the righteous judgment of God, excluded from the 
benefit of that promise; they forfeited their inheritance, and died in 
the wilderness, Numb. xiv. 28—36. Hebr. iii. 7, &c. 

53. From all this it appears, that all the high privileges of the Jews, 
before-mentioned, and all the singular relations in which they stood 
to God, as they were saved, bought, redeemed, by him; as they were 
his called and elect ; as they were his children whom he begot, created, 
made, and formed, his sons and daughters, born tohim; his heritage, 
church, house, and kingdom ; his saints, whom he sanctified; his vine 
or vineyard; which he planted; his sheep and flock: 1 say these, 
and such like honours, advantages, and relations, as they are assign- 
ed to the whole body, do not import an absolute, final state of happiness 
and favour of any kind ; but are to be considered as displays, instan- 


PREFACE. Sxvii 


ces, and descriptions of God’s love and goodness to them, which were 
to operate as a mean, 2 moral mean, upon their hearts. They were 
in truth, motives to oblige and excite to obedience ; and only when, 
so improved became final and permanent blessings; but neglected, 
or misimproved, they were enjoyed in rain, they vanished and came 
to nothing ; and wicked Israelites were no more the objects of God’s 
fayour than wicked heathens. Amos, ix. 7. speaking of corrupt 
Jews, * Are ye not as children of the Ethiopians unto me, O children 
of Israel? saith the Lord.”* 

54. And, upon the whole, we may from the clearest evidence con- 
clade, that the selecting the Jewish uation from the rest of the world, 
and taking them into a peculiar relation to God, was a scheme for 
promoting true religion and virtue in all its principles and branches, 
upon motives adapted to rational nature; which principles and 
branches of true religion are particularly specified in their law. 
And to this end, no doubt, every part of their constitution, even the 
ceremonial, was wisely adapted, considering their circumstances, and 
the then state of the world. 

55. The love of God, as it was the foundation and original of this 
scheme, so it was the prime mofive in it. God begun the work of sal- 
vation among them antecedently to any thing which they might do, 
on their part, to engage his goodness. They did not first love God, 
but God jirst loved them: their obedience did not first advance to- 
wards God; but his mercy first advanced towards them, and saved, 
bought, redeemed them, took them for his people, and gave them a 
part in the blessings of his covenant. And as for his displeasure, they 
were under that only consequentially; or after they had neglected his 
goodness, and abused the mercy and means, the privileges and honours, 
which they enjoyed. This, | think must appear very evident to any 
one who closely and maturely deliberates upon the true state of the 
Jewish church. d 

Thus, and for those ends, not excluding others before or afterward 
mentioned, the Jewish constitution was erected. 


SIV. The Jewish Peculiarity not prejudicial io the rest of Mankind— 
The Jewish Economy being established for the Benefit of the World 
im general. 


56. But although the Father of mankind was pleased, in his wis- 
dom, to erect the foregoing scheme, for promoting virtue, and pre- 
serving true religion in one nation of the world, upon which he con- 
ferred particular blessings and privileges; this was no injury nor 
prejudice to the rest of mankind. For, as to original favours, or ex- 
ternal advantages, God, who may do what he pleases with his own, 


of that change, which is to take place in the heart by the crace of God, ucing, 
that obedience, which is commanded in his word! = een 


XSVir PREFACE. 


bestows them in any kind or degree, as he thinks fit. Thus he makes 
a variety of creatures; some angels in a higher sphere of being, some 
meninalower. And among men he distributes different faculties, 
stations, and opportunities in life. Toone he gives ten talenis, to an- 
other five, to another ¢wo, and to another one, severally as he pleases ; 
without any impeachment of his justice, and to the glorious display 
and illustration of his wisdom. And so he may bestow different ad- 
vantages and favours upon different nations, withnas much justice and 
wisdom as he has placed them in different climates, or vouchsafed 
them various accommodations and conveniences of life. But, what- 
ever advantages some nations may enjoy above others, still God is the 
God and Father of all: and his extraordinary blessings to some are 
not intended to diminish his regards toothers. He erecteda scheme 
ef polity and religion for promoting the knowledge of God, and the 
practice of virtue in one nation; but not with a design to withdraw 
his goodness or providential regards from the rest. God has made a 
variety of soils and situations; yet he cares for every part of the 
globe ; and the inhabitants of the North Cape, where they conflict a 
good part of the year with night and extreme cold, are no more neg- 
lected by the universal Lord, than those who enjoy the perpetual 
summer and pleasures of the Canary Isles. At the same time that 
God chose the children of Israel to be his peculiar people, in a spe- 
cial covenant he was the God of the rest of mankind; and regarded 
them as the objects of his care and benevolence. Exod. xix. 5, “ Now, 
therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, 
then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unio me above all people: + »> 
gunn b> ALTHOUGH all the earth is mine,” So it should be ren- 
dered. Deut. x. 14, 15, ‘‘ Behold the heaven and the heaven of hea- 
vens is the Lord’s thy God, the earth with all that therein is. Only 
the Lord had a delight in thy fathers, to Jove them, and he chose their 
seed after them, even you above all people, as it is this day.” Verse 
17, 18, ‘‘For the Lord your God is God of gods, and Lord of lords, 
a great God, a mighty, and a terrible, which regardeth not persons, 
(or is no respecter of persons, Acts x. 34. through partiality to one 
person, or ene nation, more than another,) nor taketh reward. He 
doth execute the judgment of the fatherless and widow, and LovETH 
THE STRANGER, in giving him food and raiment.” A slranger was 
one who was of auy other nation beside the Jewish. Psal. cxlvi. 9, 
““The Lord preserveth the sTRANGERS.”’ viii. 1. xix. 1, 2, 3, 4. 
xxiv. 1. xxxili.5, ‘‘ The arts is full of the goodness of the Lord.” 
Verse 8, ‘* Let ant the earth fear the Lord; let aun the inhabitants 
of the world stand in awe of him.’’ Verse 12, Blessed is the na- 
tion whose God is the Lord, and the people whom he has chosen for 
his own inheritance.’ Verse 13, “ The Lord looketh from heaven; 
be beholdeth att the sons of men. From the place of his habita- 
tion be looketh upon ax the inhabitants of the earth. He fashion- 
eth their hearts alike; he considereth all their works.” xlvii. 2, 8, 
“The Lord most high is a great king over ant the earth. God 
reigneth over the heathen.”’ Ixvi. 7. cvii. 8, 15, 21. cxlv. 9, “‘ The 
Lord is good to ALL, and his tender mercies are over ALL his WORKS. * 


PREFACE. Exig 


Many more passages, might be brought out of the Scriptures of the 
Old Testament to show that all the nations of the earth were the ob- 
jects of the Divine care and goodness, at the same time that he 
¥ouchsafed a particular and extraordinary providence towards the 
Jewish nation. 

57. And agreeably to this the Israelites were required to exercise 
all benevolence to the Gentiles, or strangers, to abstain from all in- 
jurious treatment, to permit them to dwell peaceably and comfort- 
ably among them, to partake of their blessings, to incorporate into 
the same happy body, if they thought fit; and to join in their reli- 
gious solemnities. Kxod. xxii. 21, ‘* Thou shalt neither vex a sivan- 
ger, nor oppress him.” xxii. 9, 12. Lev. xix. 10, ‘Thou shalt not 
glean thy vineyard, neither shalt thou gather every grape of thy 
vineyard ; thou shalt leave them for the poor and stranger: 1am 
the Lord your God.’ xxiii. 22. xxx. 33, 34, ‘And if a stranger 
sojourn with thee in your land, ye shall not vex him. But the stran- 
ger that dwelleth with you, shall be unto you as one born amongst 
you, and thou shalt love him as thyself.” xxv. 35, ‘And if thy bro- 
ther be waxen poor, and fallen in decay with thee, then thou shalt 
relieve him: yea, though he be a stranger or ‘a sojourner, that he 
may live with thee.’”? Numb. xv. 14,15, “And if a stranger sojourn 
with you, or whosoever be among you in your generations, and will 
offer an offering made by fire of a sweet savour unto the Lord; as 
ye do so shall he do. One ordinance shall be both for you of the con- 
gregation, and also for the stranger that sojourneth with you, an or- 
dinance for ever in your generations; as ye are, so shall the stranger 
be, before the Lord.”” Deut. xxvi. 11, 12, “ And thou shalt rejoice 
in every good thing, which the Lord thy God hath given unto thee, 
and unto thy house, thou, and the Levite, and the stranger that is 
among you.”? Ezek. xxii. 7, 29. : 

58. And not only were they required to treat sfrangers, or men of 
other nations, with kindness and humanity ; but it appears from se- 
veral parts of Scripture, that the whole Jewish dispensation had re- 
spect to the nations of the world. Not, indeed, to bring them all into 
the Jewish church, (that would have been impracticable, as to the 
greatest part of the world) but to spread the knowledge and obedi- 
ence of God in the earth. Or, it was a scheme which was intended 
to have ite good effects beyond the pale of the Jewish enclosure, and 
was established for the benefit of all mankind. Gen. xii.3, ** And 
in thee (Abraham) shall all families of the earth be blessed.”” xxii. 
18, “And in thy seed shall all nations of the earth be blessed.’? 
Exod. vii. 5, “And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, 
when I stretch forth my hand upon Egypt, and bring cut the children 
of Israel.” ix. 16, ‘‘ And indeed for this very cause have I raised 
thee (Pharaoh) up, for to show in thee my power, and that my name 
may be declared throughout all the earth.” xv. 14. Lev. xxvii. 45. 
Namb. xiv. 13, 14, 15. = ike : a 

59. But though the Jewish peculiarity did not exclude the rest of 
the world from the care and beneficence of the universal Father; and 


XXX. PREFACE. 


though the Jews were commanded to exercise benevol towards 
persons of other nations; yet about the time when the was 
promulgated, the Jews were greatly elevated on account of their 
distinguishing privileges: they looked upon themselves as the only 
favourites of heaven, and regarded the rest of miankind with a sove- 
reign contempt, as nothing, as abandoned of God, and without a pos- 
sibility of salvation; unless they should incorporate, in some degree 
or other, with their nation. Their constitution, they supposed, was 
established for ever, never to be altered, or in any respect abolished. 
They were the true and only church, out. of which no man could be 
accepted of God: and consequently, unless a man submitted to the’ 
law of Moses, how virtuous or good soever he were, it was their be- 
lief, he could not be saved, He had no right to a place in the church, 
nor could hereafter obtain life. 


$V. The Jewish Peculiarity was to receive its Perfection from the 
Gospel. 


60. But the Jewish dispensation, as peculiar to that people, though 
superior to the mere light of nature, which it supposed and included, 
was but of a temporary duration, and of an inferior and imperfect 
kind, in comparison of that which was to follow, and which God, 
from the beginning, (when he entered into covenant with Abraham, 
and made the promise to him,) intended to erect, and which he made 
several declarations under the Old Testament that he would erect, 
in the proper time, as successive to the Jewish dispensation ; and, as 
a superstructure, perfective of it. And, as the Jewish dispensation 
was erected by the ministry of a much nobler hand, even that of the 
Son of Gon, the Messiah, the foreordained before the world was 
made, promised to Abraham, foretold by the prophets, and even ex- 
pected by the Jews themselves; though under no just conceptions of 
the end of his coming into the world. He was to assume, and live in 
a human body, to declare the truth and grace of God more clearly 
and expressly to the Jews, to exhibit a pattern of the most perfect 
obedience ; and to be obedient even unto death, in compliance with 
the will of God.* When Christ came into the world, the Jews were 
tipe for destruction; but he published a general indemnity for the 
transgressions of the former covenant, upon their repentance; and 
openly revealed a future state, as the true Land of Promise, even 
eternal life in heaven. Thus he confirmed the former covenant with 
the Jews, as to the favour and blessing of God; and enlarged, or 
more clearly explained it, as to the blessings therein bestowed; in- 
stead of an earthly Canaan, revealing the resurrection of the dead, 
and everlasting happiness and glory in the world to come. 

61. That the Gospel is the Jewish scheme enlarged and improved, 


* Yes, and thus to become a Sacrifice for sin, that those who believe in him might 
have redemption in his blood. This is the light in which the New Testament places 
the death of Christ. A. C. 


PREFACE. XXEi 


will evidentiy appear, if we consider that we Gentiles, believing in 
Christ, are said to be incorporated into the same body with the Jews; 
and that believing Jews and Gentiles ate now become one, one flock, 
one body in Christ. John x..16, “ And other sheep I have which are 
not of this (the Jewish) feld; them also I must bring, and they shall 
hear my yoice, and there shall be one flock, (so the word rosevy sig- 
nifies, and so our translators have rendered it in all the other places 
where it is used in the New Testament. See Matt. xxvi. 31. Luke 
ii. 8. 1Cor.ix. 7. And here also it should have been translated 
flock, not fold,) and one shepherd.” 1 Cer. xii. 13, “ By one Spirit 
we are all baptized in one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles.’” 
Gal. iii. 28, “* There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is;neither 
bond nor free, there is neither male nor female; for ye are all one 
in Christ Jesus ;” that is, under the Gospel dispensation. Ephes. it. 
14, 15,16, “ For he is our peace, who has made both (Jews and Gen- 
tiles) one, and has broken down the middle wall of partition between 
us, (Jews and Gentiles.) Having abolished by his flesh the enmity, 
even the law of commandments contained in ordinances, for to make 
in himself of twain one new man, so. making peace; and that he 
might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain 
the enmity thereby.” 

62. And that this union or coalition between believing Jews and 
Gentiles, is to be understood of the believing Gentiles being taken 
into that church and covenant in which the Jews were before the 
Gospel dispensation was erected; and out of which the unbelieving 
Jews were cast, is evident from the following considerations : 

63. First, that Abraham, the head or root of the Jewish nation, is 
the Father of us all. Rom. iv. 16, 17, “‘ Therefore it is of faith, that 
it might be by grace, to the end that the promise might be sure to all 
the seed; and not to that only which is of the law (the Jews) but to 
that also which is of the faith of Abraham, (the believing Gentiles) 
who is the father of us ail, (asit is written, | have made thee a father 
of many nations,) before him whom he believed,’’ that is to sry, in 
the account and purpose of God, whom he believed, he is the father 
of vs ann. Abraham, when he stood before God and received the 
promise, did not, in the account of God, appear as a private person, 
but as the father of us all; as the head and father of the whole future 
church of God, from whom we were all, believing Jews and Gen- 
tiles, to descend ; as we were to be accepted, and interested in the 
divine blessing and covenant after the ‘same manner as he was; 
namely, by faith. Gal. iii. 6, &c. ‘“ Even as Abraham believed God, 
and it was accounted to him for righteousness. Know ye, therefore, 
that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. 
Yor the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify,’ would take 
into his church and covenant, “the heathen through faith, preached 
before the Gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be 
blessed. So then they which be of faith,’’ (of what country soever 
they are, heathens as well as Jews,) ‘are blessed’’ (justified, taken 
into the kingdom and covenant of God,) “‘together with believing 
Abraham,” (and into that very covenant which was made with him 


EXRIi PREFACE. 


and his seed.*) In this covenant were the Jews during the whole 
period, from Abraham to Moses, and from Moses to Christ. For the 
eovenant with Abraham was with him, and with his seed after him, 
Gen. xvii. 7. ‘To Abraham and his seed were the promises made,?? 
Gal. iii. 16. And the apostle in the next verse tells us, that (the 
promises or) ‘*the covenant that was confirmed before of God in 
Christ, the law which was (given by Moses) four hundred and thirty 
years after, could not disannul, that it should make the promise (or 
covenant with Abraham) of none effect;” consequently, the Jews, 
during the whole period of the law, or Mosaical dispensation, were 
under the covenant with Abraham; and into that same covenant the 
apostletargues, Rom. iv. and Gal. iii. that the believing Gentiles are 
taken. For which reason he affirms that they are no more strangers 
and foreigners, but fellow-citisens mith the saints, that is, the patri- 
archs, &c. And that the great mystery, not understeod in other ages, 
was this, “ That the Gentiles should be fellow-heirs, and of the same 
body’? with his church and children, the Jews, Eph. ii. 19. iii. 5, 6. 

64. Secondly. Agreeably to this sentiment, the believing Gentiles, 
are said to partake of all the spiritual privileges which the Jews en- 
joyed, and from which the unbelieving Jews fell; and to be taken 
into that kingdom and church of God, out of which they were cast. 
Several of the parables of our Lord are intended to point out this 
fact. And many passages in the epistles directly prove it. 

65. Matt. xx. 1—16. In this parable the vineyard is the kingdom 
of heaven, into which God, the householder, hired the Jews early in 
the morning; and into the same vineyard he hired the Gentiles at 
the eleventh hour, or an hour before sunset. 

66. Matt. xxi. 33—34. The husbandmen to whom the vineyard 
was first let, were the Jews ; to whom God first sent Ais servants, 
the prophets, ver. 34—~36.. and. at last he sent his Son, whom they 
slew, verse 37—39. and'then the vineyard was let out to other hus- 
bandmen ; which our Saviour clearly explains, verse 43, ** Therefore 
Tsay unto you, (Jews) the kingdom of God shall be taken from you, 
and given to a nation (the believing Gentiles,) bringing forth the fruits 
thereof.” Hence it appears, that the very same kingdom of God, 
which the Jews once possessed, and in which the ancient prophets 
exercised their ministry, one after another, is now in eur possession 5 
for it was taken from them, and given to us, >. 

67. Rom. xi. 17—24, The church or kingdom of God is compared 
to an olive-tree, and the members of it to the branches. * And if 
some of the branches, (the unbelieving Jews,) be broken off, and 
thou,” Gentile Christian, ‘wert grafted in among them, and with 
them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive-tree ;” that is, 
the Jewish church and covenant. Ver. 24, ‘‘ For if thou,” Gentile 
Christian, ‘‘ wert cut out of the elive-tree, which is wild by nature, 
and wert grafted, contrary to nature, into the good olive-tree,” &c. 


* Reing justified does not merely signify beng taken into covenant, so as to be in- 
torporated with the visible church of God; it is used repeatedly by St. Paul, to signify 
that act of God’s mercy whereby a penitent sinner, believing on Christ as a sacrifice 
for sin, has his transgressions forgiven for Christ’ssake. Rom. v. }, 0. A.C. 


PREFACE. XXX1ii 


68. 1 Pet. ii. 7, 8, 9, 10, Unto you, Gentiles who believe, he 
Christ) is an honour, téux, but unto them which be disobedient, 
ie unbelieving Jews,) the stone which the builders disallowed, the 
same is made the head of the corner, and also a stone of stumbling, 
and a rock of offence.* They stumble at the word, being disobe- 
dient, whereunto also they were appointed.” (They are fallen from 
their privileges and honour, as God appointed they should in case ef 
their unbelief.) ‘But ye?’ (Gentiles, are vaised into the high de- 
gree from which they are fallen, and so) ‘*are a chosen generation, 
a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people, that ye should 
show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of heathenish 
darkness into his marvellous light.”” 

69. Thirdly. The Jews vehemently oppesed the admission of the 
uncircumcised Gentiles into the kingdom and covenant of God, at the 
first preaching of the Gospel. But if the Gentiles were not taken 
into the same church and covenant, in which the Jewish nation had 
so long gloried, why should they so zealously oppose their being ad- 
mitted into it? Or why so strenuously insist that they ought to be 
circumcised in order to their being admitted? For what was it to 
them, if the Gentiles were called and taken into another kingdom 
and covenant, distinct, and quite different from that which they 
would have confined wholly to themselves, or to such only a8 were 
circumcised? Itis plain the Gentiles might have been admitted 
into another kingdom and covenant, without any offence to the Jews, 
as they would still have been left in the sole possession of their an- 
cient privileges. .And the apostles could not have failed of using this 
as an argument to pacify their incensed brethren, had they so un- 
derstood it. But seeing they never gave the least intimation of this, 
it shows they understood the affair as the unbelieving Jews did, 
namely, that the Gentiles, without being circumcised, were taken 
into the kingdom of God, in which they and their forefathers had so 
long stood. 

70. Fourthly. It is upon this foundation, namely, that the believing 
Gentiles are taken into that church and kingdom in which the Jews 
once stood, that the apostles drew parallels, for caution and instruc- 
tion, between the state of the ancient Jews, and that of the Chris- 
tians. 1 Cor. x. 1—13, “Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye 
should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, 
and all passed through the sea, and were all baptized unto Moses, 
and did all eat of the same spiritual meat, and did all drink of the 
same spiritual drink; but with many of them God was not well 
pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness. Now those 
things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil 
things as they also lusted. Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of 


* We render this passage thus, a stone of stumbling, aud rock of offence, even to 
them which stumble at the word, being disobedient, &c. as if it were one continued 
sentence. But thus, violence is done to the text, and the apostle’s sense is thrown 
into obsurity and disorder, which is restored by putting a period after offence, and be- 
ginning a new sentence, thus they stumble at the word, &c. For observe, the apostle 
runs a double antithesis between the unbelieving Jers and believing Gentiles. 


SRKLV PREFACE. 


them; neither let us provoke Christ, as some of them provoked,” &c. 
Hebr. iii. 7, &c. ‘¢ Wherefore as the Holy Ghost saith, To-day,* 
when oy while you hear his voice, harden not your hearts as in the 
day of temptation in the wilderness, when your fathers tempted me, 
wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and sware in my 
wrath, They shall not enter into my rest. ‘Take heed, brethren, lest 
‘there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief.” Chap, iv. 1, “Let 
us therefore fear, lest.a promise being left us of entering into his rest, 
any of you should seem to come short of it.”” Verse 2. “For unto ws 
hath the Gospel been preached, as well as to them ;”’ that is, we have 
the joyful promise of a happy state, or of entering into rest, as well 
as the Jews of old. Verse 11, ‘* Let us labour, therefore, to enter 
into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.” 
71. Fifthly. Hence also the Scriptures of the Old Testament are 
represented as being written for our use and instruction, and to ex- 
plain our dispensation as well as theirs. Matt. v. 17, “Think not 
that I am come to destroy the law and the prophets; I am not 
come to destroy, but to fulfil.” And when our Saviour taught 
bis disciples the things pertaining to his kingdom, he opened to 
them the Seriptures, which were then no other than the Old Testa- 
ment. Luke iv. 17—22. xviii. 31. xxiv. 27, “‘ And beginning at Mo- 
ses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the Scrip- 
tures, the things concerning himself.’? Verse 45, “‘ Then opened he 
their understanding that they might understand the Scriptures.” 
‘Thus the apostles were instructed in the things pertaining to the 
Gospel dispensation. And always in their sermons in the Acts, they 
confirm their doctrine from the Scriptures of the Old Testament. 
And in their epistles they not only do the same, but also expressly 
declare, that those Scriptures were written as well for the benefit 
of the Christian as the Jewish church. Rom. xv. 4, After a quota- 
tion out of the Old Testament, the apostle adds, “for whatsoever 
things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that 
we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.’? 
1 Cor. ix. 9, “It is written in the law of Moses, Thou shalt not muz- 
zie the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn.” Ver. 10, “‘ For 
our sakes no doubt, this is written.’ 1 Cor. x. 11. “Now all these 
things,’’ (namely, the before-mentioned privileges, sins and punish- 
ments of the ancient Jews, ) ‘‘ happened unto them for ensamples ; and 
they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the earth 
arecome.”? 2 Tim. iii. 16, 17, “ All Scripture is given by inspiration 
of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for 
instruction in righteousness; that the man of God may be perfect, 
thoroughly furnished unto all good works.” 
72, Sixthly. Agreeably to this notion, that the believing Gentiles 


* Symteov av THe avus avrTov axovonte. KAN, if, should hero havo 
been rendered When ; as it is rendered 1 John iii. 2. and as it should have been ren- 
dered John xii. 32. xiv. 3. xvi. 7.2 Cor. y. 1. In the like manner the particle CN im, 
Peal. xcv. 7. (whence the place is quoted,) should have been translated When or 
While. For it is translated When, 1 Sam. xv. 17. Prov. iii. 24. iv. 12. Job vit. 4. 
svii. 16. Pse. i. 18. and might have been so translated in ofher places. 


PREFACE. XXXF 


ave taken into that church or kingdom, out of which the unbelieving 
Jews are cast, the Christian church, considered in a body, is called 
by the same general names as the church under the Old Testament. 
Tsrael was the general name, of the Jewish church, so also of the 
Christian. Gal. vi. 16, ‘* As many as walk according to this rule, 
peace be on them, and mercy; and upon the Israel of God.” Rev. 
vii. 3, 4, Speaking of the Christian church, the angel said, ‘* Hurt 
not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the 
servants of our God in their foreheads. And I heard the number of 
them that were sealed: and there were sealed a hundred and forty- 
four thousand, of all the tribes of the children of Israel.”” Rev. xxi. 
10—13, ‘‘He showed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, (the 
Christain church,) having the glory of God,—and had a wall great 
and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and 
names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of 
Israel, (as comprehending the whole church.) Ver. 14, ‘‘ And the 
wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of 
the twelve aposiles of the Lamb.” Jews was another running title 
of the church in our Saviour’s time, and this is also applied to Chris- 
tians. Rev. ii. 8, 9, ‘* And unto the angel of the (Christian) church 
in Smyrna, write, I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty ; 
and I know the blasphemy of them who say they are Jews, (members 
of the church of Christ,) and are not, but are the synagogue of Sa- 
tan.’’ And again, chap. iii. 9. 


$ VI. The particular Honours and Privileges of Christians ; and the 
Terms signifying these Honours explained. 


73. Seventhly. In conformity to this sentiment, (namely, that the 
believing Gentiles are taken into that church, covenant, and king- 
dom, out of which the unbelieving Jews were cast,) the state mem- 
bership, privileges, honours, and relations of professed Christians, 
particularly of believing Gentiles, are expressed by the same phrases 
with those of the ancient Jewish church; and, therefore, unless we 
admit a very strange abuse of words, mtst convey the same general 
ideas of our present state, membership, privileges, honours, and rela- 
tions to God, as we are professed Christians. For instance, 

74.1. As God chose his ancient people the Jews, and they were his 
chosen and elect, so now the whole body of Christians, Gentiles as 
well as Jews, are admitted to the same honour; as they are selected 
from the rest of the world, and taken into the kingdom of God, for 
the knowledge, worship, and obedience of God, in hopes of eternal 
life. Rom. viii. 33, “ Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s 
elect 2” &c. Eph. i. 4, ‘* According as he hath chosen us,” (Gen- 
tiles, chap. ii. 11.) “in him, before the foundation of the world, that 
we should be holy, and without blame before him in love,’ Col. iii. 
12, “Put on, therefore, (as the elect of God, holy and beloved,} 
bowels of mercies,” &c. 2 Thess. ii. 13, ‘“¢ But we are bound te 
give thanks to God always for you, brethren, belbved of the Lord, 
because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation, through 


XEXVI PREFACE, 


sanctification of the Spirit, and beliefofthe truth.’? ‘Dit, i. 1, “* Paul, 
a servant of God, and an apéstle of Jesus Christ, according to the 
faith of God’s elect, and the acknowledging of the truth which is 
after godliness,” 2 Tim. ii. 10, ‘‘ Therefore 1 endure all things for 
the elect’s sake, that they also may obtain the salvation which is 
in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory.” 1 Pet. i. 1,2, * mes to the 
strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, 

and Bithynia, elect, according to the frtckngmtedea of God ‘the Fa- 
ther, through sanctification of the Spirit unto obedience.” ii. 9, “ Ye. 
(Gentiles) are a chosen generation,” &c. v. 13, “The ‘church that 
is,at Babylon, elected together with you, saluteth you.”’ 

75. IL. The first-step which the goodness of God took in execution 
of his purpose of election, with regard to the Gentile world, was to 
rescue them from their wretched situation in the sin and idolatry of 
their heathen state, (by sending his Son Jesus Christ into the world 
to die for mankind, and thus) to bring them into the light and privi- 
leges of the Gospel. With regard to which, the language of Scrip- 
ture is, Ist, That he delivered, 2d, Saved, 3d, Bought or purchased, 
4th, Redeemed them, _i. 4, “ Who gave himself for our sins, that he 
might deliver us from this present evil world,’’ the vices and lusts in 
which the world is involved. Col. i. 12, 13, ‘Giving thanks to the 
Father, who has delivered us from the power of (heathenish) dark- 
ness,’ (Acts xxvi. 18. 1 Pet. ii. 9, Eph. iv. 18. v. 8,) “and transla- 
ted us into the kingdom of his dear Son.””? And thus, consequentially, 
we are “delivered from the wrath to come,” 1 Thess, i. 10, 

76. 1 Cor. i. 18, “ For, the preaching of the cross is to them that 
perish, foolishness ; but uato us which are saved, it is the power of 
God.”’ vii. 16, ‘“What knowest thou, O wife, whether thou shalt 
sate thy husband? or how knowest thou, O man, whether thou shalt 
save thy wife 2” that is, convert her to the Christian faith. =. 33, 
“ Even asI please all men in all things, not seeking mine own pro- 
fit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved.” Eph. ii. 8, 
*tFor by grace are you saved through faith.” 1 Thess. ii. 16, * The 
Jews forbid us to speak to the Gentiles that they might be saved.’’ 
i Tim. ii. 4, “ Who will have all men to be saved and come unto the 
knowledge of the truth.’? 2 Tim.i. 9, “Who hath saved us, and 
called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but accord- 
ing to his own purpose and grace.” In “this general sense, saved is 
in other places applied to both Jews and Gentiles; particularly to 
the Jews. Rom. ix. 27. x. 1. xi. 26. Hence God is styled our Sa- 
viour. ‘Tit. iii. 4, 5, ‘‘ But after that the kindness and love of God 
our Saviour towards man appeared, not by works of righteousness 
which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us.’’ 1'Tim. 

i. 1, “Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the commandment of Ged 
dar Saviour” ii. 3. Tit. i. 3. Rom. xi. 11, “ Through their (the 
Jews’) fall salvation is come to the Gentiles.’ And as this salvation 
is by Jesus Christ, he also is frequently called our Saviour. 

77. Acts xx. 28, “Feed the church of God, which he has purcha- 
sed with his own blood.’’ 1 Cor. vi. 20, ‘“‘ And ye are not your own; 
fr ye ase bought witha price.” vii. 23, “Ye are bought witha 


. 


PREFACE. SRRVII 


price.’ 2 Pet. ii. 1, False prophets shall bring in damnable he« 
resies, even denying the Lord that bought them.’’ Rev. v. 9, “ Thou 
wast slain, and hast redeemed (bought) us to God by thy blood out of 
every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation.” 

78. Tit. iii. 14, * Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem 
us from alliniquity.” 1 Pet. i.18, ‘‘ Ye were not redeemed with cor- 
ruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain (heathenish) con- 
_versation, received by tradition from your fathers; but with the 
precious blood of Christ.” And at the same time ke redeemed or 
bought us from death, or the curse of the law, Gal. iii. 13, And the 
Jews, in particular, from the law, and the condemnation to which it 
subjected them. Gal. iv. 5. Hence frequent mention is made of 
the redemption which is in Jesus Christ, Rom. iii. 24. 1 Cor. i. 30. 
Ephes. i. 7. Col. i. 14, Hebr. ix. 12, 15. Hence also Christ is said 
to give himself a ransom for us,. Matt. xx. 23. Mark x. 46. 1 Tim. 
ii. 6, ‘* Who gave himself a ransom for all.’’—That is, that he might 
redeem them unto God by the sacrificial shedding of his blood. 

79. Il]. As God sent the Gospel to bring Gentiles, Christians, 08 
of heathenism, and invited and made them welcome to the honours’ 
and privileges of his people, he is said to ca/l them, and they are his: 
called. Rom. i. 6, 7, ‘‘ Among whom are ye also called of Jesus 
Christ.” ‘To all that are at Rome ealled saints.’’—viii. 28. 1 Cor. 
i. 9. “ God is faithful, by whom ye were called into the fellowship of 
his Son.’’—viii. 20. Gal. i. 6, “I marvel that ye are so soon removed 
from him that ealled you””—v. 13. Ephes. iv. 1, ‘‘ I beseech you that 
ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called,” iv. 4. 
1 Thess. ii. 12, That ‘‘ ye walk worthy of God, who hath called you 
unto his kingdom and glory’’—iv. 7, “God hath not called us unto 
uncleanness, but unto holiness.”? 2 Tim. i. 9. ‘* Who hath saved usp 
and called us with a holy calling ; not according to our works,’’ &c. 
1 Pet. i. 15, “But as he which hath called you is holy, se be ye holy 
in all manner of convereation’’—ii. 9, ‘‘ Ye,’® Gentile Christians, 
‘Sare-a chosen generation,--to show forth the praises of him who 
hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light.”’ 

. Note—The Jews also were called. Rom. ix. 24, “‘ Even us, 
whom he has called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles.’* 
1 Cor. i. 24. vii. 18, “Is any man called, being circumcised’’—Heb: 
ix. 15. But the calling of the Jews must be different from that of 
the Gentiles. The Gentiles were called into the kingdom of God 
as strangers and foreigners, who had never been in it before. But 
the Jews were then subjects of God’s kingdom under the old form; 
and therefore ceuld be called only to submit to it, as it was new mo- 
delled under the Messiah. Or, they were called to repentance, to 
the faith, allegiance, and obedience of the Son of God, and to the 
hope of eternal life through him; whom rejecting, they were cast 
out of God's peculiar kingdom. 

81. IV. And as we stand in the relation of children to the God and 
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ; hence it is that we are his bre- 
threg, and he is considered as the First-Born among us, Matt: 

4 


xxsviii PREFACE, 


_ xxviii. 10. John xx. 17, ‘Jesus saith, Go to my brethren, anu say 
unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father, and to my 
God, and your God.’’? Heb. ii. 11, 17. Rom. viii, 29, “That he 
might be the first-born among many brethren.” etal 

82. V. And the relation of God, as a father, to us Christians, who 
are his children, will lead our thoughts to a clear idea of our being, 
as we are called, the house or family of God, or of Christ. 1 Tim. 
“fii. 15, “But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how to behave 
thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God.” 
Heb. iii. 6, ‘‘ But Christ, as a Son over his own house; whose house 
are we, (Christians) if we hold fast the confidence and rejoicing of 
the hope firm unto the end.’? Heb. x.21, * And havine. x great 
High-priest over the house of God,” &c. 1 Pet. ix. 17, “Yor the 
time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God :”” (that 
is, when the Christian church shall undergo sharp trials and suffer- 
ings ;) ‘and if it first begin at us,’’ Christians, who are the house 
or family of God, ‘‘ what shall the end be of them that obey not the 
Gospel 2”* that is, of the infidel world, who lie out of the church. 
See Rom. i. 5. xv. 18. 1 Pet. i. 22. Eph. ii. 19, “* We are of the 
household (domestics,) of God.”” iii. 14, 15, **I bow my knees unto 
the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the whole family in 
heaven and earth is named, &c. 

93. VI. Further; as the land of Canaan was the estate, or inhe-- 
@ilance, belonging to the Jewish family, or house; so the heavenly 
country is given to the Christian House, or family, for their inherit- 
anee. Acts xx. 32. “‘ And now, brethren, | commend you to God, 
and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to 
give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified,’ Col. 
ti, 24, “Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of 
the inheritance.” Heb. ix. 15, “He is the mediator of the New 
Testament, that they which are called might receive the promise of 
eternal zheritance.”” 1 Pet. i. 4, ‘God has begotten us again—to an 
inheritance incorruptible, undefiled, and that fadeth not away, re- 
served in heaven for us.” » Hence we have the title of Aeirs. Titus. 
iii. 7, “That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs 
according to the hope of eternal life.” James ii. 5, “‘ Hath not God 
chosen the poor of this world, rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom, 
which he has promised to them that love him??? See Rom, viii, 17. 
1 Pet. iii. 7. ; 

‘84. And as Canaan was considered as the rest of the Jews, so, in 
teference to our trials and afflictions in this world, heaven is consi- 
dered as the rest of Christians. 2 Thess. i. 7, “And to you who. 
are troubled, (he will give) rest with us when the Lord Jesus shall 
be revealed from heaven.”? Heb. iv. 1, ‘‘ Let us therefore fear, lest 
a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you shoulé 
seem to come short of it. For unto us hath the Gospel been preach- 
ed,as well as ta /hem ;’’ that is, we have the joyful promise of enter- 
ing into rest, a8 well as the Jews of old. Ver. 9, “ There remains, 

»tirenefpre a rest for the peaple of God: tht is, for Christtins now in 


PREFACE. XEKIE 


this world, as well as for the Jews formerly in the wilderness. Which 
is fhe point the apostle is proving from ver. 3. to 10. 

‘85, VII. Thus Christians as well as the ancient Jews, are the house 
or family of God, or we may conceive the whole body of Christians 
formed into a nation, having God at their head; who, on this ac- 
count, is styled our God, Governor, Protector, or King; and we his 
people, subjects, or servants. ; 

86. VIII. And it is in reference to our being 2 society peculiarly ap- 
propriated to God, and under his special protection and government, 
that we are called the city of God, the holy city. Heb. xii. 22, “ Ye 
are come unto—the city of the living God.’ Rey. xi..2, “ And the 
holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.” This 
city is described in some future happy state, Rey. 21st and 22d 
chapters. 5 

87. Hence the whole Christian community or church is denotef. 
by the erty Jerusalem, and sometimes by Mount Zion. Gal. iv. 26, 
Bat Jerusalem, which is above, is free, which is the mother of us 
all.” In her reformed or future happy state, she is the New Jeru- 
silem, Rey. iii. 12. xxi. 2. Hebr. xii. 22, ‘Ye are come unto 
Mount Zion,” &c. Rev. xiv. 1. ; 

88. Hence also we are said to be written, or enrolled in the Book; 
of God, or which comes to the same thing, of the Lamb, the Son of 
God. Rey. iii. 5, ‘‘ He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed 
in ‘white raiment; and I will not blot:out his name out of the Book 
of Infe.”? xxii. 19, “And if any man take away from the words 
of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the 
Book of Life, and out of the holy city, &c. which shows, that the 
mames of such as are in the Book of Life may be blotted outs: 
consequently, that to be enrolled there is the privilege of all pro- 
fessed Christians. \ 

89. And whereas, the believing Gentiles were once strangers, aliens, 
not a people, enemies, ‘‘now” (Eph. ii. 19.) ‘they: are no more 
strangers and foreigners, but fellow-citizens with the saints.” 1 Pet. 
i. 10, ** Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people 
of God.” Now we are at peace with God, Rom. v. 1. Now we are 
reconciled and become the servants of God, the subjects of his king- 
dom, Rom. v. 10. 1 Thess. i. 9.2 Cor. v. 18, 19.%  » 

90. On the other hand; the body of the Jewish nation, (having 
through unbelief rejected the Messiah, and the Gospel: and being, 
therefore, cast out of the city and kingdom of God,) are in their turn, 
at present, represented under the name and notion of enemies; Rom. 
.* 28, ‘As. concerning the Gospel they are enemies for your 
sake, . 

91. IX. The kind and particular regards of God to the.converted. 
Gentiles, and their relation to Jesus Christ is also signified by that of 

* That is, every true penitent, who by faith embraces the Lord Jesus in his sacrifi- © 
cial death, as a sufficient atonement for his sin, is,freely justified from all things, from 
which he could not be justified by the law of Moses : and thus, being justified hy faith, 
he fs reconciled to God by tie death of his Son, and has peace with God, the Spirit: 
witnessing with his spirit that ke ts a child of God: being now really adopted inte 
the heavenly family.—A. C, ‘ 


‘7 


xl PREFACE. 


a husbdnd and wife: and his taking them into his covenant, is repre- 
sented by his espousing them. 2 Cor. xi. 2, “‘ For lam jealous over 
you with godly jealousy ; for I have espoused you to husband, 
that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.”” pales 

92. Hence the Christian church, or community, is represented 3 
a mother, and particular members as her children. Gal. iv. 26, 
*¢ But Jerusalem, which is above, is free, which is the mother of us 
all.” Ver. 27, ‘For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bear- 
est not: break forth and cry, thou that travailest not; for the deso- 
Tate-hath many more children than she which hath a husband.*? 
Ver. 28, ‘‘ Now we, brethren, as Israel was, are the children of pro- 
mise.’? Verse 31, ‘So then, brethren, we are not children of the 
bond-woman, but of the free.””, ; ‘ 

93. Hence also, from the notion of the Christian church being the 
spouse of God in Christ, her corruption and her idolatry come under 
the name of fornication and adultery. Be as 

94. X. As God, by Christ, exercises a particular providence over 
the Christian church, in supplying them with all spiritual blessi 
guiding them through all difficulties, and guarding them in all spi- 
vitual dangers; He is their Shepherd, and they his flock, his sheep. 
John x. 11, “Iam the good shepherd.’’ Ver. 16, “ And other sheep 
I have, which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they 
shall hear my voice ; and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.” 
Acts xx. 28, 29. Heb. xiii. 20. 1 Pet. ii. 25, “For ye were as sheep 
going astray ; but are now returned to the Shepherd and Bishop 
(Overseer,) of your souls.*’—v. 2, 3, 4, ** Feed the flock of God,”’ &c, 

95. XI. Nearly on the same account, as God, by Christ, has esta- 
Plished the Christian church, and provided all means for our happi- 
ness and improvement in knowledge and virtue, we are compared to 
a vine, and a vineyard, and God to the husbandman, who planted and - 

. dresses it; and particular members of the community are compared 
to branches. John xv. 1, 2, ‘I am the true cine, and my Father is 
the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit, he 
taketh away, and every branch that beareth fruit he purgeth it,” 
&c. Ver. 5,“Iam the vine, ye are the branches.” Matt. xv. 13, 
«Every plant which my heavenly Father hath not planted shall be 
reoted up.’? Rom. vi. 5, “If we have been planfed together in the 
Tikeness of his death ; we shall be also in the likeness of his resur- 
rection.” Matt. xx. 1, The vineyard into which labourers were 
Rired is the Christian as well as the Jewish church: and so chap. 
xxi. 33. Mark xii. 1. Luke xx. 9. 1 Cor. iii. 9, * Ye are God’s hus- 
Bandry.” Rom. xi. 17, ‘And if some of the branches, (Jews,) be 
Broken off, and thou being a wild olive-tree, wert in among 
them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive- 
twee,” &e.—See also ver. 24. : 

96. XII. As Christians are, by the will of God, se? apart and ap- 
propriated in a special manner to his honour, service, and obedience, 
and furnished with extraordinary means and motives to holiness, so 
they are said to be sanclified. 1 Cor. i. 2, “Unto the church of 
God, which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Je- 


far 


- 


PREFACE. dip 


sus yi. 11, “(And such were some of you: but ye are washedy 
but ye are sanclificd; but ye are justified in the name of the 
Lerd Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.” Heb. ii. 11, “For 
both he that sanetzfieth, and they who are sanciified, are all of 
one,’’ x. 9. a” ‘ 

97. XIII. Further; By the presence of God in the Christian 
church, and our being by profession consecrated to him, we, as well 
as the ancient Jews, are made his house, or temple, which God has 
built, and in which he dwells, or walks. 1 Pet. ii. 5, ‘‘ Ye also, as 
lively stones, are built up a spiritual house,” &c. 1 Cor. iii. 9, + Ye 
are God’s building.” Ver. 16, 17, ‘* Know ye not that ye, (Chris- 
tians,) are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in 
you ; ifany man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy : 
for the temple of God is holy, which femple ye are.” 2 Cor. vi. 16, 
%tAnd what agreement hath the temple of God, the (Christian 
church,) with idols? For ye are the temple of the living God: as 
God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them.’ Eph. ii. 
20, 21, 22, ‘And are buzlt upon the foundation of the apostles,” &e. 
Christ Jesus being the chief corner-stone: in whom all the building 
fitly framed together, groweth into a holy temple in the Lord ; in 
whom ye also are builded together, for a habitation of God through 
the Spirit.”? 2 Thess. ii. 4, ‘‘So that he, as God, sitteth in the-tem~ 
ple of God, sHowING HIMSELF that he is God.” : 

98. XIV. And not only does God, as our King, dwell in the 
Christian church, as in his house or temple ; but he has also confer- 
red on Christians the honours of kings ; as he hus redeemed us from 
- the servitude of sin, made us lords of ourselves, and raised us above 
others, to sit on thrones, and to judge and reign over them. And he 
has made us priests too, as we are peculiarly consecrated to God, 
and obliged to attend upon him from time to time continually, in the - 
solemn offices of religion, which he has appointed. 1 Pet. ii. 4, 
** Ye also as lively stones are built up a spiritual house, a holy 
priesthood.” Ver. 9, “‘ But ye (Gentile Christians,} are a chosen 
generation, a royal (or kingly) priesthood.» Rev. i. 5, 6, “ Unto 
him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, and 
hath made us kings and pries(s unto God and his Father,” &c. 

99. XV. Thus the whole body of the Christian church is separa-. 
fed unto God frem the rest of the world. And, whereas before, the 
Gentile believers were afar off, lying out of the commonwealth 
of Israel ; now, they are nigh, as they are joined to God in covenant, 
lave full access to him in the ordinances of worship; and in virtue 
of his promise, a particular title to his regards and blessing. 2 Cor. 
vi. 17, “* Wherefore come out from among them and be separate, 
%aith the Lord, and touch not the anclean thing, and I will receive 
you.” Eph. ii. 13, “‘ But now in Christ Jesus ye, who sometimes- 
were afar off, are made nigh, by the blood of Christ.” 

_ 100. XVI. And as God, in all these respects, has distinguished the’ 
Christian church, and sequestered them unto himself, they’ are’ 
atyled his peeuliar people. Tit. ii. 14, “* Who gave himself for us, 
that ke might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify ufito'himget?s. 

i : ; 


shit PREFACE. 


peouliarpeople, zealous of good works.’ 1 Petwii. 9, But ye are” 
a Pian generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar pea- 
»” &o, ; t : 
. 101. XVII. As Christians are a body of men, particularly related 
te God, instructed by him in the rules of wisdom, devoted to his 
service, and employed in his true worship; they are called his 
church or congregation. Acts xx, 28, “Feed the church of God.” 
3 Cor. x. 32, “Giving none offence to the church of God,” xv. 9. 
Gal. i. 13, and elsewhere. Eiph. i, 22, ‘“*Head over all things to 
the church ?’—and_ particular societies are churches. Rom. xvi. 16> 
*¢ The churches of Christ salute you””—and so in several other places. 
102. XVIII. For the same reason they are considered as God’s 
possession, or heritage. 1 Pet. v. 3, “* Neither as being lords over 
God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock.” The reader’can- 
not well avoid observing, that the words and phrases, by which our 
Christian privileges are expressed in the New Testament, are the 
very same with the words and phrases by which the privileges of the 
Jewish church are expressed in the Old Testament: which makes 
good what St. Paul says concerning the language in which the apos- 
tles “‘declared the things that are freely given to us of God.” 1 Cor. 
ii. 12, 13, ‘* We,”’ aposiles, “have received, not the spirit of the 
world, but the spirit which is of God, that we might know the things 
that are given to us of God :’’ namely, the fore-recited privileges and 
blessings. ‘‘ Which things we speak, not in the words which man’s 
' wisdom teacheth,’’ not in philosophic terms of human invention, 
“but which the Holy Spirit teacheth’’ in the writings of the Old 
Testament, the only Scriptures from which they took their ideas 
and arguments, ‘‘ comparing spiritual things,’’ under the Gospel. 
Whence we may conclude :—1. That the Holy Scriptures are ad- 
sairably calculated to be understood in those things which we are 
most of all concerned to understand. Seeing the same language 
runs through the whole, and is set in such a variety of lights, that 
one part is well adapted to illustrate another. An advantage i 
reckon peculiar to the Sacred Writings above all others.—2. It fol- 
Tows, that to understand the sense of the Spirit in the Vew, it is es- 


sentially necessary that we understand its sense in the Old Testa- 
ment.* 


$ VII. Reflections on the foregoing Honours and Privileges of the 
Christian Church. 


From what has been said it appears— 

103. I. That the believing Gentiles are taken into that kingdom 
and covenant in which the Jews once stood, and out of which they 
were cast for their unbelief, and rejection of the Son of God; and 
fhat we Christians ought to have the same general ideas of our pre- 
gent religious state, membership, privileges, honoursyand relations 


‘-« ba. < 
 # The not attending to this has been the cause of errors and faite doctrities of the 
Most dangerous mature dnd tendency.——-A. C. 


PREFACE, xhii 


to God, as the Jews had, while they were in possessiou.of the king- 
dom. Only in some things the kingdom of God, under the Gospel 
dispensation, differs much from the kingdom of God, under the Mo- 
saical—As, 1. For, that it is now so constituted, that it admits, and is 
adapted to men of al/ nations upon the earth, who believe in Christ.— 
2. That the law, as a ministration of condemnation, which was an ap- 
pendage to the Jewish dispensation, is removed and annulled under 
the Gospel, [but the moral law, as a rule of life, is still in force.]|—3. 
And so is the polity, or civil state of the Jews, which was interwoven 
with their religion; but has no connexion with the Christian reli- 
giou.—4. The ceremonial part of the Jewish constitution is likewise 
abolished, for we are taught the spirit and duties of religion, not by 
firures and symbols, as sacrifices, offerings, washings, &c. but by ex- 
press and clear precepts.—5. The kingdom of God is now put under 
the special government of the Son of God, who is the Head and King 
of the church, to whom we owe faith and allegiance.* 

104. Il. From the above-recited particulars, it appears that the 
Christian church is happy, and highly honoured with privileges of 
the most excellent nature ; of which the apostles, who well understood 
this new constitution, were deeply sensible. Rom. i. 16, “*1 am not 
ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto 
salvation to every one that believes.’? v. 1, 2, 3, &c.—** There- 
fore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our 
Lord Jesus Christ; by whom also we have access, by faith, into 
this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice [glory] in hope of the glory 
of God. And not only so, but we glory in tribulation also,”> &c. 
Ver. 11, “* And not only so, but we also joy [glory] in God through 
our Lord Jesus Christ,” &c. chap. viii. 31, &c. ‘* What shall we 
then say to these things? if God be for us who can be against us? 
He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how 
should he not, with him, alsofreely give us all things? Who shall lay 
‘any thing to the charge of God’s elect? who is he that condemneth ? 
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ??? Chap. ix. 23, 24, 
‘* He has made known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, 
which he had afore prepared unto glory, even on us whom he has 
called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles. 2 Cor. iii. 18, 
«But we all, with open face, beholding, as in a glass, the glory of 
the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, as by 
the Spirit of the Lord.” Eph. i. 3, 4, &c. “ Blessed be the God and 
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with all spirit- 
ual blessings in heavenly places in Christ, according as he has chosen 
us in him,” &c. &c. : 

105. And it is the duty of the whole body of Christians to rejoice 
in the goodness of God, to thank and praise him for all the benefits 
conferred upon them in the Gospel. Rom. xy. 10, ‘‘ Rejoice ye ~ 

- Gentiles, with his people.” Phil. iii. 1, “ My brethren, rejoice in the 
* ~ * Add to this, that all the pri under th p dantly more spiritua? 
than they were under the bes T fone dckeoe, THIS "ie ee. 


while we consider these privileges the same in sind, we must view them &3 
differing widely in degree——A. G : ae 


‘Com = aS i» 
. x 


sliv ’ PREFACE: 


Lord.” iv. 4, “ Rejoice in the Lord always ; again I say rejoice.¥ 1 
Thess. v. 16, “ Rejoice evermore.” Jamesi. 9. 1 Pet.1, 6, 8. Col. i, 
12, “ Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be 
partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light” . ii. 7, Rooted 
and built up in him, and established in the faith, abounding therein 
with thanksgiving.’’ 1 Thess. v, 18. Heb. xiii. 15, “‘ By him, there- | 
fore, let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the 
fruit of our lips, giving thanks to his name”? Eph. i. 6, ‘To the 
praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he has made us accepted in 
the Beloved.’’ Ver, 12, 14. 

106, Further, it is to be observed, that all the foregoing privileges, 
benefits, relations, and honours, belong: to all professed Christians 
without exception. God is the God, King, Saviour, Father, Hus- 
band, Shepherd, &c. to them all. He created, saved, bought, re- 
deemed, he begot, he made, he planted, &c. them al/. And they are 
all as created, redeemed, and begotten, by him; his people, nation, 
heritage ; his children, spouse, flock, vineyard, &c. We are all en- 
riched, with the blessings of the Gospel. Rom. xi. 12, 13, 14. all re- 
conciled to God. Ver. 15. all. ‘*the seed of Abraham and heirs ac- 
cording to the promise ;”’ Gal. iii, 29. all partake of the “root and 
fatness of the good olive,” the Jewish church; all the brethren of 
Christ, and members of his body, all are under grace, all have 2 
right to the ordinances of worship, all are golden candlesticks in the 
temple of God, Rev, i. 12, 13, 20.; even those, who by reason of 
their misimprovement of their privileges, are threatened with hay- 
ing the candlestick removed out of its place, ii. 5.; either.every pro- 
fessed Christian is not in the church, or all the fore-mentioned privi- 
leges belong to every professed Christian ;* which will appear more 
evidently if we consider, ; 

107. Ill. That all the afore-mentioned privileges, honours, and ad- 
vantages, are the effects of God’s free grace, without regard to any 
prior righteousness, which deserved or procured the donation of them. 
It was not for any goodness or worthiness which God found in the 
heathen world, when the Gospel was first preached to them; nor for 
any works of obedience or righteousness which we, in our Gentile 
state had performed ; whereby we had rendered ourselves deserving 
of the blessings of the Gospel, namely, to be taken into the family, 
kingdom, or church of God; by no means. It was not thus of our- 
selves that-we are saved, justified, &c. So far from that, that the 
Gospel, when first preached to us Gentiles, found us sinners, dead in 
trespasses and sins, enemics éhrough wieked works, disobedient ; thePe- 
fore, I say, all the fore-mentioned privileges, blessings, honours, &c. 


are the effects of God’s free grace or favour, without regard to 


* A professed Christian, should be a real practical Christian: God provides mo 
privileges for professors of Christianity, as distinguished from g@enutne Christiqns. 
All the above enumerated blessings and privileges belong to Christians; but a Chris- 
tian is one who has the spirit of Christ, and lives according to his Gospel. Letno 
‘man, therefore, suppose, because he professes Christianity, and is enrolled with some 
Christian church or society, that he is therefore a child of God, &c.: he must be born 
< - Spirit, bella he can be thus considered ; or have any just tithe tp the kingdom 
of heaven —A. €. : 


PREFACEY xiv 


any prior works, or righteousness in the Gentile world, which pro= 
eured the donation of them. Accordingly, they are always in Scrip- 
ture assigned to the love, gracé, and mercy of God, as the sole spring 
from whence they flow. John iii. 16, “ For God so loved the world, 
that he gave his only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him 
should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Rom. v. 8, ‘But 
God commendeth his love to ts, in that while we were sinners, Christ 
died for us.’ Eph. ii. 4—9, 10, ‘* But God, who is rich in mercy, 
for his great Jove, wherewith he has loved us, even when we were 
dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ,” (by grace ye 
are saved) ‘and hath raised us up together, and made us sit toge- 
ther in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. That in ages to come, he 
might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness towards 
us, through Jesus Christ. For by grace are ye saved, through faith, 
and that” (salvation is) “not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 
not of works, so that * no man,’’ (nor Gentile nor Jew,) * can boast. 
Por we” (Christians converted from heathenism) ‘‘are his work- 
manship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath 
before ordained that we should walk in them.” 

108. ft is on acount of this géneral love that Christians are ho- 
noured with the title of beloved.—Rom. i. 7, “To all that are in 
Rome, beloved of God, called saints.”? ix. 25, “1 will call her’? 
(the Gentile church,) ‘beloved, which was not beloved.’’ Coloss. 
iii. 12, “ Put on, therefore, as the elect of God, holy, and beloved, 
bowels of thercies,” &c. : 

109. Rom. iii. 23, 24, “For all have sianed, and come short of the 
glory of God; being justified freely by his grace, through the re- 

emption which is in Christ Jesus.” v. ii. 1 Cor. i. 4, “1 thank 
my God for the grace of God which ‘is given you by Jesus Christ.” 
Eph. i. 6, 7, “To the praise of the glory of his grace, whereby he 
has made us accepted in the Beloved, in whom we have redemption 
through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of 
his grace.” Col. i. 6. 2 Thess. i. 12. 2 Tim. i. 9, ** Who hath saved 
us, and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, 
but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given: us in 
Jesus Christ, before the world began.” Tit. ii. 11. Heb. xii. 15. 
Hence, grace, and the grace of God, are sometimes put for the 
whole Gospel, and all its blessings, as Acts xiii. 43, ‘* Paul and Bar- 
nabas, persuaded them to continue in the grace of God;” 2 Cor. 
vi. 1. 1 Pet. 'v. 12, “ Testify that this is the true grace of God in 


* Iya Au Tis xavynenras, lest any man should boast ; so we render it ; as if 
the Gospel salvation were appointed to be not of works, to preyent our boasting : 
which supposes we might have boasted, had not God taken this method to preclude 
it.—Whereas, in truth, we had nothing to boast of. Neither Jew nor Gentile could 
pretend to any prior righteousness, which might make them worthy to be taken into 
the house and Eaton, of God under his Son; therefore, the apostle’s meaning is. 
** Wo are not saved from heathenism, and translated into the church and kingdom of 
Christ for any prior goodness, obedience, or righteousness we had perfoymed. For 
which reason, no man can boast, as if he had merited the blessing,’ &c, This is the 
2postle’s sense ; and the place should have been trantlated, so that no man'can boast ; 
For 4a signifies so that. See Rom. iii. 19. 1 Cor. vii. 29. 2Cor. i, 27% vii, 2 
Gal. v.47. Heb. ii. 17. vi. 18. Mark iv. 11, 


wilt PREFACE. 


which we stand.” 1 Cor. i. 4. Rom. v. 2. 2Cor. vi. 1. Tit. ii. if. 
Jude 4. Rom. xii. 1, “‘} beseech ‘you, therefore, brethren, by the 
mercies of God, that ye present your bodies,” &c. xy. 9, ‘* And 
that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy.” 1 Pet. i. 3, 
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who, ac- 
cording to his abundant mercy, hath begotten us again to a lively 
hope,”’ &c. ° 

'.110. In these texts, and others of the same kind, it is evident that 
the love, grace, and mercy of God, hath respect not to particular 
persons in the Christian church, but to the whole hody or whole so- 
cieties;,and therefore, are to be understood of that general love, 
grace, and mercy, whereby the whole body of Christians is sepa- 
rated unto God, to be his peculiar people, favoured with extraordi- 
nary blessings. And it is with regard to this sentiment and mode of 
speech, that the Gentiles, who before lay out of the church, and 
had not obtained mercy, are said now to have obtained mercy.== 
Rom. zi. 30. hg 

111. Hence also, we may conclude that all the privileges and 

blessings of the Gospel, even the whole of our redemption and sal- 
vation, are the effect of God’s pure, free, original love and grace, 
to which he was inclined of his own motion, without any other mo- 
tive, besides his own goodness, in mere kindness and\good will to a. 
sinful, perishing world. These are “ the things that are FREELY: 
given to us of God,’’ 1 Cor. ii, 12. 


§ VIII. All the Grace of the Gospel-is dispensed to us, by, i, OF 
through Christ Jesus. : 


112. Nevertheless, all the forementioned love, grace, and mercy, is. 
dispensed, or conveyed to us, in, by, or through the Son of God, Je- 
sus Christ, owr Lord. To quote all the places to this pares would 
be to transcribe a great part of the New Testament. But ey 4 
suffice, at present, to review the texts under the numbers 107 an 
109. From which texts it is evident, that the “grace,” or favour 
“of God is. given unto us By Jesus Christ: that he has shown the 
exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness to us, THROUGH Jesus 
Christ ;’? that “he has sent his Son into the world that we might live 
THROUGH him; to be the propitiation,” (or merey. eat ee our 
sins:’? “ that he died for us; that we, who were afar off, are made 
nigh Bx his blood” that ‘God has made us accepted in the Belo- 
ved,” (in his beloved Son,) ‘‘1y whom we have redemption 
THROUGH his blood, the forgiveness of sins :” ‘that we are his 
workmanship created iv Christ Jesus: that ‘before the world 
began, the purpose and grace of God,’’ relating to our calling 
and salvation, was giver: us rv Christ Jesus before the foundation 
of the world, God chose us 1n Christ,” Eph. i. 4. “We have 
with God ruRroucH our Lord Jesus Christ, px whom also we have. 
access into this grace wherein we stand,” Rom. v.1,2. “ God 
hath given to us eternal life, and this life is 1v his Son,” 1 John v. 11. 
Nothing is clearer from the whole ‘current of Scripture, than that 
all the mercy and love.of God, and all the blessings of the Gospel, - 
from first to last, from the origma} purpose and grace of God, to our 


PREFACE. xlvii 


fittal salvation in the possession of eternal life, is IN, BY, or THROUGH 
Christ ; and particularly By HIS BLOOD, “ by the redemption which 
is in him,” as ‘‘heis the propitiation,’’? or atonement, “for the sins 
of the whole world,” 1 John ii. 2. This can bear no dispute among 
Christians. The only difference that can be must relate to the man- 
mer, how these blessings are conveyed to us, in, by, or through 
Curist. Doubtless they are conveyed through his hands, as he is 
the Minister or Agent appointed of God, to put us in possession of 
them. But his blood, death, cross, could be no ministering cause of 
blessings assigned to his blood, &c. before we were put in possession 
of them.—See Rom. v. 6, 8, 10, 19. Eph. ii. 13, 16. Col. i. 20, 
21, 22. Nor truly can his blood, be possibly considered as a minis- 
tering or instrumental cause in any sense at all; for itis not an agent, 
but an object, and therefore, though it may be a moving cause, or 2 
reason for bestowing blessings, yet it can be no active or instrumental 
cause in conferring them. His blood and death is indeed to us an 
assurance of pardon; but it is evidently something more; for it is 
also considered as an offering and sacrifice to God, highly pleasing to 
him, to put away our sin, and to obtain eternal redemption. Heb. 
ix. 12, 14,26. Eph. v. 2. 

113. But why should God choose to communicate his grace in this 
mediate way, by the - ec are obedience, and agency of his Son, 
whe again employs subordinate agents and instruments under him? 
J answer ; for the display of the glory of his nature and perfections. 
The sovereign Disposer of all things may communicate his blessin 
by what means, and in any way, he thinks fit. But whatever He 
effects by the interposition of means, and a train of intermediate cau- 
ses, He could produce by his own immediate power. He wants not 
clouds to distil rain ; nor rain nor human industry to make the earth 
fruitful; nor the fruitfulness of the earth to supply food; nor food 
to sustain our life. He could do this by his own immediate power ; 
bat He chooses to manifest his providence, power, wisdom, and 
goodness, in a variety of ways and dispositions, and yet his power 
and goodness are not only as much concerned and exercised:in this 
way, as if he produced the end without the intervention of means; 
but even much more, because his power, wisdom, and goodness, are 
as much exerted and illustrated in every single intermediate step, as 
if he had done the thing at once, without any intermediate step at- 
all. There is as much power, and wisdom exercised in producing 
tain, or in making the earth fruitful, or in adapting food to the nour- 
ishment of our bodies; I say there is as much power in any one of 
these steps, as there would be in nourishing our bodies by one im- 
mediate act without those intermediate means. Therefore, in this 
method of procedure, the displays of the Divine Providence and 
perfections are multiplied and beautifully diversified, to arrest our 
attention, exercise our contemplation, and excite our admiration 
and thankfulness; for thus we see God, in a surprising variety of 
Thstances. Nor, indeed, can we turn our eyes to any part of the 
visible creation, but we see His power, wisdom, and goodness in 
perpetual exercise, every where. In like manner, in the moral world, 
Tre chnoses to work by means, the mediation of his Son, the influen- 


a ee 
slviii PREFACE. 


ces of his Spirit, the teachings of his word, the endeavours of apus- 
tles and ministers; not to supply any defects of his power, wisdom, 
or goodness; but to multiply the instances of them ; to show ‘himself 
to us in a various display of his glorious dispensations ; to exercise 
‘the moral powers and virtues of all the subordinate agents employed 

~ in carrying on his great designs, and to set before our thoughts the 
most engaging subjects of meditation, and the most powerful motives 
of action. And this method, in the moral world, is still-more neces- 
sary; because, without the attention of our minds, the end proposed, 
our sanctification, cannot be obtained.* 

114. But how is it agreeable to the infinite distance there is be- 
tween the Most High God, and creatures so low and imperfect, 
who are of no consideration when compared to the immensity of his 
nature, that he should so greatly concern himself about our redemp- 
tion? Answer—He who is all-present, all-knowing, all-powerful, 
attends to.all the minutest affairs in the whole universe, without 
the least confusion or difficulty. And, if it was not below his infinite 
greatness to make mankind, it cannot be so to take care of them, 
when created. For kind, he can produce no beings more excellent 
than the rational and intelligent; consequently, those must be most 
worthy of his regard. And when they are corrupted, as thereby 
the end of their being is frustrated, it must be as agreeable to his 
greatuess to endeavour, (when he sees fit,) their reformation, or to 
restore them to the true ends for which they were created, was 
originally to create them. y 

115. And, as for mankind being a mean and inconsiderable part of 
the creation, it may not be so easy to demonstrate as we may ima- 
gine. The sin that is, or hath been, in the world, will not do it: 
for then the beings, which we know stand in a much higher, and, 
perhaps, in a very high rank of natural perfection, will be proved to 
be as mean and inconsiderable as ourselves; seeing they in great 
numbers have sinned. Neither will our nafural weakness and im- 
perfection prove, that we are a mean and inconsiderable part of 
God’s creation; for the Son of God, when clothed in our flesh, and 
encompassed with all our infirmities and temptations, lost nothing of 
the real excellency and worth he possessed, when in a state of glory 
with the Father, before the world was. Still he was the beloved 
Son of God, in. whom he was well pleased. Besides, since God may 
bestow honours and privileges, as he pleases; who will teli.me, 
what pre-eminence, in the purpose of God, this world 1 possibly 
have, above any other part of the universe? Or wh toe a it 
bears to the rest of the creation? We know that eyen angels have 
been ministering spirits to some part, at least, of mankind. Who 

* This is beautiful on the whole, and gives a fine din a and gi 
of God :—Butit certainly was not merely to display the operations 
Providence, and to multiply the displays of the Divine p ions, that God req 
the sacrifice and death of his Son; as he was a sacrifice for sin; and tho true not 
of sacrifice is redeeming the life of a guilty creature, by the of one that is inno 
cent, therefore, Christ died, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, 1 
Pet. iii. 18. Consequently, the justice and righteousness of God required this sacri- 
fice : and justice must have required it; else such a sacrifice could aenere a 

out injustite, 


place ; for had not justice required it, no attribute of God could, wi 
dave demanded it ——A. €. 


- — -_ + ei A “s sa ae | 


will determine how far the scheme of redemption may exceed any 
scheme of Divine wisdom, im other parts of the universe? Or how 
far it may affect the improvement and happiness of other beings, in 
the remotest regions. Eph. iti. 10, “ To the imtent that now unto 
the principalities and powers in heavenly places, might be known by 
the church, the manifold wisdom of God, according to the eternal 
purpose, which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord.” 2 Pet. i i 
12, * Which things that are.reported by them that have preached 
the Gospel, the angels desire to look into.” It is therefore, the sense 
of Revelation, that the heavenly principalities and powers study the 
wisdors and grace of redemption; and even increase their stock of 
wisdom from the displays of the Divine love in the Gospel. Who 
can say how much our virtue is, more or less, severely proved, than 
in other worlds? Or, how far our virtue may excel that of other 
beings, who are not subjected to our long and heavy trials; may not 
a virtue, firm and steady under our present clogs, inconveni 
nits, persecutions, trials, and temptations, possibly sur- 
pass the virtue of the highest angel, whose state is not attended with 
such embarrassments? Do we know how far such, as shall have 
per etd passed through the trials of this life, shall hereafter be 
through the creation? How much their capacities will be 
enlarged? How highly they shall be exalted? What power and 
trusts will be put into their hands? How far their influence shall 
and how much they shall contribute te the good order and 
happiness‘of the universe? Possibly, the faithful i when disen- 
gaged from our present incumbrauces, may blaze out ‘into a degree 
of excellency equal to the highest honours, the most important and 
extensive services. Our Lord has made us kings and priests unto 
God and the Father, and we shall sit together in “ heavenly places,”? 
and reign with him. “To him that overcomes’ the trials of this 
present state, be will give “to sit with him m his throne.” 
True, many from among mankind shall perish among the vile and 
worthless, for ever: and/so shall many of the angels. These consi- 
derations may satisfy us, that possibly mankind are not so despicable 
as to be below the interposition of the Sou of God. Rather, the sur- 
‘prising condescensions and sufferings of a Being so glorious, should 
be an argument that the scheme of redemption is of the utmost im- 
; and that, in the estimate of God, who alone confers dig- 
nity, we "ate creatures of very great consequence. Lastly, God by 
Christ created the world ; and if it was not below his dignity to create, 
it ie much less below his dignity to redeem the world ; —— the 
; is the more honourable. 
. Tt is farther to be observed ; that the whole schnuse of the 
Goepel in. Christ, and as it stands in relation to his blood, or obe- 
dience anto death, was formed in the council of God before the 
‘calling of Abraham, and even before the beginning of the world. 
ts xv. 18, ‘Known unto God are all his works,” (the dispensa- 
ns which he intended to advance,) “from the beginning of the 
_Eph. i. 4, “ According as he hath chosen us m him,” 
before the — of the world.” (wea neralsnn: 


a laa 


i PREFACE. 


xoopour) 2 Tim. i. 9, “Who hath saved us and called us—ac-° 
cording to his own purpose and grace which was given us in Christ 
\ Jesus, before the world began.’’ 1 Pet. i. 20, “ Who,”’ (Christ,) 
_ “verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, (wec 
waraCoans xecuov,) but was manifest in these last times for Jon. 
(Gentiles.) Hence, it appears, that the whole plan of the Divine 
mercy in the Gospel, in relation to the method of communicating it, 
and the Person, through whose obedience it was to be dispensed, and 
by whose ministry it was to be executed, was formed, in the mind 
and purpose of God, before this earth was created. God, by his 
perfect and unerring knowledge, foreknew the future state of man- 
kind ; and so, before-appointed the means which he judged proper 
for their recovery; which foreknowledge is fully confirmed by the 
promise to Abraham, and very copiously by the repeated predictions 
of the prophets in relation to our Lord’s work, and p ularly to 
his death, with the end and design of it. 
117. Again; it is to be noted, that all the forementioned MERCY 
and LovB, privileges and blessings, are granted and confirmed to the 
Christian church, under the sanction of a covenant ; which is a grant 
or donation of blessings eonfirmed by a proper authority. The Gos- 
pel covenant is established by the promise and oath of God, and 
ratified by the blood of Christ, as a pledge and assurance, that it is a 
reality, and will certainly be made good. Matt. xxvi. 28, “* This is 
my blood in the New Testament” or Covenant. Luke xxii. 26, 
“¢This cup is the New Teslament,’’ (covenant,) **in my blood,’’ 
2 Cor. iii. 6, **Made us able ministers of the New Testament,” 
(covenant.) Heb. vii. 22, ‘‘ Jesus made a surety of abetter Testament.” 
Heb. viii. 6, “‘ He is the Mediator of a better covenant, established 
upon better promises’)—viii. 8. ix. 15. xii. 24. xiii. 20.—Here ob- 
serve, 1. Jesus is the Surety, (Ey vce) Sponsor, and Mediator, 
(Mecirne,) ofthe New Covenant, as he is the great Agent appointed 
of God to negotiate, transact, secure, and execute all the blessings 
which are conferred by this covenant. Obs. 2. That as the cove- 
nant-is a donation, or grant of blessing, hence it is, that the promise, 
or promiser,is sometimes put for the covenant; as Gal. iii. 17, “ The 
covenant that was confirmed before,” to Abraham, ** of God in Christ, 
the law, which was 430 years after, cannot disannul, that it should 
make the promise of none effect : for if the inheritance be of the law, 
it is no more of promise. But God gave it to Abraham by promise ; 
and so ver. 19.: again, ver. 21, “Is the law then against the prom2- 
sesof God?” Ver. 22.--Obs. 3. That the Gospel covenant was in- 
cluded in that made with Abraham, Gen. xvii. 1, &ec. xxii. 16, 17, 
18. As appears from Gal. iii, 17. and from Heb. vi. 13, *‘ When 
God made the promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no 
greater, he sware by himself,” &c. Ver. 17, “He confirmed,”’ 
(euectrevesy, he mediator’d) ‘it by an oaTH: that by two immutable 
things,” the promise and oath of God, ‘we’? (Christians,) “might 
“have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold on the 
hope set before us.” 


118. But what should carefully and specially be observed is this 


PREFACE. i 


that the Gospel constitution is a scheme, and the most perfect and 
effectual scheme, for restoring true religion, and for promoting vir- 
tue and happiness, that the world has ever yet seen. Upon faith in 
Christ, men of all nations were admitted into the church, family, 
kingdom, and covenant of Ged, by baptism; were all numbered 
among the justified, regenerate or born again, sanctified, saved, cho-_ 
sen, called, saints, and beloved ; were all of the flock, church, house, 
vine and vineyard of God ; and were entitled to the ordinances ang 

in of the church; had “exceeding great and precious pro- 
mises” given unto them, especially that of entering mio the rest of 
heayen. And in all these blessings and honours, we are certainly 
very happy, as they are “‘the things which are freely given to.us of 
God,”’ 1 Cor. ii. 12. But because these things are freely given, 
without respect to any obedience or righteousness of ours, prior to 
the donation of them ; is our obedience and personal righteousness, 
therefore, unnecessary? Or are we, on account of benefits 
received, secure of the favour and blessing of God, in a future world, 
and forever? By no means. 

117. To explain this important point more clearly, I shall proceed 
as before, and show that these privileges and blessings, given in 
general to the Christian church, are ANTECEDENT blessings; given 
indeed freely, without any respect to the prior obedience of the 
Gentile world, before they were taken into the church; but intended 
to be motives to the most upright obedience for the future, after they 
were joined to the family and kingdom of God. Which effect, if 
they produce, then our election, and calling, our redemption, adop- 
tion, &c. are made good: upon which account I shall call them 
CONSE@UENT blessings; because they are secured to us, and made 
ours for ever, only in consequence of our obedience. But on the 
other hand, if the antecedent blessings do not produce obedience to 
the will of God: if we his chosen people and children do not obey 
the laws and rules of the Gospel, then we, as well as any other 
wicked persons, may expect tribulation and wrath ; then we forfeit all 
our privileges, and all our honours and relations to God; all the 
favour and promises given freely to us are of no avail; we “ receive 
the grace of God in yain,’’ and everlasting death will certainly be 
our wretched portion. ' i 

118. That this is the great end of the dispensation of God’s grace 
to the Christian church—namely, to engage us fo duty and obe- 
dience; and that it is a scheme for promoting virtue and true religion, 
is clear from every part of the New Testament, and requires a large 
and particular proof: not because the thing in itself is difficult or 
intricate; but because it is of great importance to the right under- 
standing of the Gospel, and the apostolic writings ; and serves to ex- 

lain several points which stand in close relation to it. As particu- 
tary ; that all the fore-mentioned privileges belong to all 
istians, even to those that shall perisheternally.* For, 

* Yes: all that hear the ieve it, are this state of 
salvation, to be justified. ik wie ieanee ke an ae shall in the 
great day be treated having reeeived these blessings: for what aman may have 
under the Gospel, and refuses to receive. or having received it, makes shipereck ey 


hii PREFACE. 


1. Ifthe apostles affirm them of all Christians to whom they wrile: 

2. If they declare some of those Christians, who were favoured 
with those privileges, to be wicked, or suppose they might be 
wicked : ‘ 5 sary 

3. If they declare those privileges are conferred by mere grace, 
without regard to prior works of righteousness: _ me 

4, If they plainly intimate, those privileges are conferred in order 
to produce true holiness : “aa 

5. If they exhort all to use them to that purpose, as they will 
answer it to God at the last day : 

6. If they declare they shall perish, if they do not improve them 
to the purifying their hearts, and the right ordering of their conver- 
sation: then it must be true that these privileges belong to all Chris- 
tians, and are intended to induce them toa holy life. And the truth 
ofall those six particulars will sufficiently appear, if we attend to the 
Gospels and Epistles. ces 5 


§ IX. Conclusions from the preceding discourse. 


119. Though, in the foregoing collection, I have faithfully and im- 
partially endeavoured to give the true sense of every text: yet pos- 
sibly, in some few, that are doubtful, I may have erred. But there 
are so many indisputably plain and full to the purpose, as will, | am 
persuaded, sufficiently justify the following conclusions :— 

120. I. That the Gospel is a scheme for restoring true religion, 
and for promoting virtue and happiness. 

121. II. That election, adoption, vocation, salvation, justification, 
sanctification, regeneration, and the other blessings, honours, and 
privileges, which come under the head of ANTECEDENT blessings, 
do, IN A SENSE, belong at present, to all Christians, even those who, 
for their wickedness, may perish eternally. ’ 

122. III. That those antecedent blessings, as they are offered and as- 
signed to the whole body of Christians, do not import an absolute final 
state of favour and happiness: but are to be considered as displa 
instances, and descriptions of God’s love and goodness to us: which 
are to operate asa moral mean upon our hearts. They are a display 
of the love of God, who is the FatuEr of the Universe, who cannot 
but delight in the well-being of his creatures; and being perfect in 
goodness, possessed of all power, and the only original life and 
happiness, must be the prime Author of all blessedness; and bestow 
his favours in the most free, generous, and disinterested manner. 
And therefore, those biessings, as freely bestowed, antecedently to 
our obedience, are perfectly consonant to the nature and moral cha- 
racter of God. He has freely, in our first birth and creation, given 
us a distinguished and eminent degree of being, and all the noble 
powers and advantage of reason: and what should stop the course of 
his liberality, or hinder his conferring new and higher blessings, even 


faith and a good conscience, he shall give account of at the judgment-seat: and 
therefore, it may be justly said, that ‘‘ all these privileges belong to professed Christians, 
eyen to those at shall perish everlastingly.’’ See the note on p. xliv. and for a vin- 
dication of what is here borrowed from Dr. Taylor, see the concluding observations 
st the end of the Epistleto the Galatians. ——A. C. 


PREF ACE. lm 


when We could pretend no title or claim to them? And as the 
blessings of the Gospel are of the most noble kind, raising us to high 
dignity, and the most delightful prospects of immortality; they are 
well adapted to engage the attention of men, togive-the most pleasing 
ideas of God, to demonstrate most clearly, what nature itself disco- 
vers, that he is our FaTHER, and to win and engage our hearts to 
him in love, ‘who has, in a manner so surprising, loved us. By pro- 
ising the remission of sins, protection and guidance through this 
world, and the hope of eternal life, every cloud, discouragement, and 
obstacle, is removed; and the grace of God, in its brightest glory, 
shines full upon cur minds, and is divinely powerful to support our 
patience, and animate our obedience under temptations, trials, and 
difficulties ; and to inspire peace of conscience, comfort, and joy. 
123. IV. These principles ought to be admitted and claimed by 
all Christians, and firmly established in their hearts; as containing 
privileges and blessings in which they are all andoubtedly interested. 
Otherwise it is evident, they will be defective in the true principles 
of their religion, the only ground o/ their Christian joy and peace, 
and the proper motives of their Christian obedience. Now those 
principles, (namely, our election, weation, justification, regeneration, 
sanctification, &c. in Christ, throagh the free grace of God,) are ad- 
mitted, and duly established in our hearts, by Farru. Faith then, 
as exercised upon the blessings which God has gratuitously bestowed 
upon us, is in our hearts, the foundation of the Christian life: and 
retaining and éxercising this Christian virtue of Faith, is called 
“tasting that the Lord is gracious,”? 1 Pet. ii. 3.; “having, ’* or, 
holding fast “erace,’? Heb. xii. 28.; “growing in grace,” 2 Pet. 
in. 18. “being strone in the grace of Jesus Christ,’? 2Tim. ii. 1.; 
‘«holding faith,” 1 Tim. i 19. ii. 9.; ‘continuing in the faith 
grouaded and settled, and not being moved away from the hope of 
the Gospel,’? Col. i. 23.; “holding fast the confidence and rejoicing 
of hope,”’ Heb. iii. 6. ‘« heiding the beginning of our confidence stead- 
fast,” Heb, iii. 14.; ‘‘having” (holding) “hope,” 1 John iti. 3.: 
hoping perfectly ‘‘for the grace that is to be brought unto us at the 
revelation of Jesus Christ,’ 1 Pet. i. 13.; ‘* giving earnest heed to 
the things we have heard,” Heb. ii. 1.; ‘‘ having” (holding) “the 
Son,” or Christ, 1 Jom v.12. By these, and such like phrases, the 
apostles express our being thoroughly persuaded of, and duly affect- 
ed with, the blessings included in our election, vocation, justification, 
&c. Or their being firmly established in our hearts as principles of 
obedience, to secure our perseverance and final happiness ; through 
the mighty working of God’s power, to purify our hearts, and to guard 
us through all our spiritual dangers and conflicts; which power will 
always assuredly attend every one who holds faith, grace and hope, 
1 Pet. i.5. Here note; that the primary object of faith is not in 
ourselves, but in God. Not our own obedience or goodness, but the 
grace of God, is the primary object of faith. But the fri of 


Exar, to have, in such passages, signifies to keep, or hold, a8@ property or 
prineiple for use. Matt. xiii. 12. xxv.29. John iii. 29. v. 42. viii. 12 Rom. i. 22. 
xv. 4. PPhess. ni. 6. 1Tim.i. 19. i. 9. Hebr. vi. 9.ix. 4. 1 John =. @. Hi. 3. v. 8. 
John ver. 9. 5 


iw PREFACE. . 


faith must be in ourselves. The grace or free gift of God is the foun- 
dation of faith; and faith is the foundation of the whole life of a true 
Christian. 2 Pet. i. 5, 6, 7, “‘ Giving all diligence, add to your rairH 
virtue,” &c. Jude 20, ‘building up yoursélves on your most holy 
Pairs,” &c. = 

124. These antecedent blessings are the first principles of the 
Christian religion: but the first principles of religion must be free 
from all doubt or scruple; otherwise the religion which is built 
upon them must sink, as haying no foundation, The principles of 
natural religion—that I am endowed with a rational nature, that 
there is a God in whom I live, move, and have my being, and to 
whom I am accountable for my actions, are perfectly evident: other- 
wise the obligations of natural religion would be necessarily doubtful 
‘and uncertain. In like manner the first principles of the Christian 
religion must be free from all perplexity ; otherwise its obligations 
must be doubtful and perplexed. If it be doubtful whether ever 
Christ came into the world to redeem it, the whole Gospel is doubt- 
ful; and it is the same thing, if it be doubtful who are redeemed by 
him: for if he have redeemed we know not whom, it is nearly the 
same thing, with regard to our improvement of redemption, as if he 
had redeemed no body at all. ; 

125. Faith is the first act of the Christian life, to which every 
Christian is obliged, and, therefore, it must have a sure and certain 
objéct to work upon; but if the love of God, in our election, calling, 
adoption, justification, redemption, &c. be in itself uncertain to any 
persons, in the Christian church, then faith has no sure nor certain 
object to work upon with respect to some Christians ; and conse- 
quently, some Christians are not obliged to believe ; which is false. 

126. Further, the apostles make oar election, calling, adoption, 
&c. motives to obedience and holiness. And therefore, these, (our 
election, calling, adoption, &c.) must haye an existence antecedent 
to our obedience; otherwise they can be no motive to it. And if 
only an uncertain, unknown number of men, be elected to eternal 

‘life, no individual can certainly know that he is of that number; and 

so, election can be no motive to obedience to any person in the 
Christian church. To confine election, adoption, &c. to some few, is 
unchurching the greatest part of the church, and robbing them of 
common motives and comforts. \ 

127. Our election, adoption, and other antecedent blessings, are not 
of works; consequently, we are not to work for them, on them. 

They are not the effect of our good works, but our good works are 
the effect of them; they are not founded upon our holiness, but our 
holiness is founded upon them. We do not procure them by our obe- 
dience, for they are the effect of free grace; but they are motives and 
reasons exciting and encouraging our obedience. Therefore, our 
election is not proved by our sanclification or real holiness. Our 
real happiness proves, that our electron is made sure : but our election 
itself is proved by the free grace of God. ; 

128. From all this it follows that we, as well as the Christians of 
the first times, may claim and appropriate to ourselves all the fore- 
mentioned antecedent blessings, without any doubt or scruple. In 


aii PREFACE. _ i 


confidlerice of hope and full assurance of faith we may boldly say, 
« The Lord is my helper,”? and come with boldness to the throne of 
grace. Our life, even eternal life, is sure to every one of us in the 
promise of God, and the hands of our Lord Jesus Christ. And the 
business of every Christian is not to perplex himself with doubts, 
and fears, and gloomy apprehensions; but to rejoice in the Lord, 
and to do the duties of his place cheerfully and faithfully, in the as- 
sured hope of eternal life, through Jesus Christ—to him be everlast- 
ing glory and praise. Amen.* 

129, From the preceding collection of texts we may gather ; that 
some of the expressions whereby the antecedent blessings are signi- 
fied, such as elect, justify, sanctify, &c. may be used in a double 
Sense; namely, either as they are applied to ail Christians in gene- 
ral, in relation to their being translated into the kingdom of God, and 
made his peculiar people, enjoying the privileges of the Gospel; or, 
as they signify the effects of those privileges. Wherever any blessing 
is assigned to all Christians without exception; wherever it is said 
not to be of works ; wherever Christians are expected to make a due 
improvement of it, and threatened with the loss of God’s blessing; 
and of eternal life if they do not; there, the expressions which sig- 
nify that blessing are to be understood in a general sense as denoting 
a Gospel privilege, profession, or obligation. And in this general 
‘sense, saved, elect, chosen, justified, sanctified, are sometimes used ; 
and calling, called, election, are, I think, always used in the New 
Testament. But when any blessing denotes real holiness, as actually 

- existing in the subject, then it may be understood in the special and 
eminent sense ; and always must be understood in this sense, when it 
implies the actual possession of eternal life. And m this sense, saved, 
elect, chosen, justify, sanctify, born of God, are sometimes used.. Matt. 
xx. 16, “ Many are called, but few are chosen,’’ (whomake a worthy 
use of their calling.) Matt. xxiy.31, “ He shall send his angels witha 
great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect.’ 
xii. 36, 37, ‘*In the day of judgment, by thy words thou shalt be jus- 
tified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.’ 1 Thess. v. 24, 
‘The God of peace sanctify you wholly,’’ &c. 1 John ii. 29, ‘* Every 
one that doeth righteousness is born of him.” iv.7, “Every one that 
loveth is born of God,” in the eminent sense. 

130. The faith which gave a person a place or standing in the Chris- 
tian church, was a profession considered simply, and separately from 
the fruits and effects of it. But itincluded a profession of repentance, of 
forsaking sin and idolatry, and of bringing forth the fruits of righteous 
ness. And itis the continued profession of this faith in Christ, which 
gives us a continued right to a place in the church. For, if we cast 
off our first faith, we renounce our profession, we cease to be Chris- 
tians, or we no longer continue to be the peculiar family of God, 


* This is all right, when the sinner has been led, by a deep knowledge of his lost 
estate, to seek and find redemption in the blood of the Lamb: then it is his business 
to rejoice in the Lord, and do the duties of his place cheerfully and faithfully in the 
assured hope of eternal lite through Jesus Christ. But he must not presume, because 
he is ina Christian church, and believes the doctrines of Christianity, that therefore he 
is safe. He cannot be safe unless Christ be formed in his heart the hope of sarge 


ivi PREFACE. 


131. Here it should be carefully observed, that it is very common, 
in the Sacred Writings, to express not only our Christian privileges, 
but also the duty to which they oblige, in the presenf or preterperfect 
tense; or to speak of that as done, which only ough to be done; and 
which, in fact, may possibly never be done. Mal. i. 6, * A son ho- 
nours,”’ [ought to honour,] ‘‘his father.” Matt. y. 13, ‘Ye are,” 
[ought to be,] ‘the salt of the earth; but if the salt have lost his 
savour,” &c. Rom. ii. 4, ‘¢ The goodness of God ness love to 
lead] ‘‘thee to repentance.” Rom. vi. 2, 11. viii. 9. Col. iii. 3. 
1 Pet. i. 6, ‘* Wherein ye [ought] greatly.[to] rejoice.”? 2Cor. iii. 
18, “We all with open face,” penioying the means of | “*beholding 
as in-a glass the glory of the Lord, are” [ought to be, enjoy the 
means of being] ‘‘changed into the same image, from glory ta 
glory.” 1Cor. v.7, ‘* Parge out the old leayen, that ye may bea 
new lump, as ye are” [obliged by the Christian profession to be, | 
“ unleavened.”’ Hebr. xiii. 14, ‘‘ We seek,”’ [we ought to seek, or 
according to our profession, we seek, | “a city tocome.” 1 Johnit. 
12, 15.—iii..9. v. 4, 18.; and in various other places., x 

132. The man of true goodness, courage, and greatness of soul, is 
he who has that “faith which worketh by love;?? who lives the life 
he now lives, by ‘‘ faith in the Son of God.” Such a man is happy 
under allevents. This is he, who, while he despises a vain life, has 
the truest and highest-enjoyment of all that can be enjoyed in it. 
This is the man who alone properly lives; for he has nothing but life 
and immortality before him; death itself giving no interruption to his 
life. Blessed, unspeakably blessed is this man. Such the Gospel is 
designed to make us all; and such we all may be, if we do not 
shamefully neglect the grace of God, and our own happiness. But the 
knowledge and sense of these things are generally lost among those 
called Christians; to whom the words of the Psalmist may be too 
truly applied: ‘‘ They are a people that do err in their hearts, for 
they have not known my ways.’’ Psalm xcy. 10. F ‘ 

133. From all the preceding observations and arguments we may 
clearly see what is implied in preaching Christ. It is not teaching, 
that only a small, uncertain number among Christians, are ARBITRA- 
RILY redeemed, elected, called, adopted, born again, or regenerated ; 
and that all the rest are by a sovereign, absolute, and eternal DECREE, 
passed by, or reprobated. These are no principles of Christianity, 
but stand in direct contradiction to them, and have drawn a dark 
veil over the grace of the Gospel, sunk the Christian world into an 
abject state of fear, and a false superstitious humility ; and thrown 
ministers into endless absurdities.—It is such doctrines as these that 
have misrepresented the Christian religion; harassed the Christian 
world endlessly, by blending and confounding men’s understandings, 
and imbittering their spirits; and have been the reason of calling in 
a false kind of learning, logic, metaphysics, and school divinity, in 
order to give a colour of reason to the grossest absurdities; and to 
enable divines to make a plausible show of supporting and defending 
palpable contradictions. See the note at the conclusion of page Ixii. 


t 


“A GENERAL SURVEY 


orf THE 


EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS. 


‘Pau. had never been at Rome when he wrote this letter, and 

it cannot turn upon some particular points, to revive the 
remembrance of what he had more largely taught in person ; or to 
satisfy the scrupulous in some things he might not have touched 
upon atall. But mit we may expect a full account of his Gospel, 
or those glad tidings of salvation which he preached among the Gen- 
tiles; seeing mA epistle was intended to'supply the total want of his 

ing at Rome. . 

He understood perfectly well the system of religion he taught, for 
he was instructed in it by the immediate Revelation of Jesus Christ, 
Gal. i. 11. Eph. iii. 3. 1 Cor. xi. 23.; and being also endowed with 
the most eminent gifts of the Holy Spirit, a man disinterested and 
quite unbiassed by any temporal considerations, we may be sure he 
has given us the truth, as he received it from our Lord, after his 
ascension. On the other hand, he was also well acyuainted with the 
sentiments and system of religion which he opposed ; for he was well 
skilled in Jewish literature, having had the best education his coun- 
’ try could afford; and having been once a most zealous advocate for 

Judaism. Having. frequently disputed with the Jews, he was tho- 
roughly versed in the controversy, and knew very well what would be 
retorted upon every point: and therefore we may very reasonably 
suppose that the queries and objections which the apostle in this epistle 
puts into the mouth of the Jews, were really such as had been ad- 
vanced in opposition to his arguments. 

He was a great genius, anda fine writer; and he seems to have 
exercised all his talents, as well as the most perfect Christian tem- 
Per, in drawing up this epistle. The plan of it is very extensive ; 
and it is surprising to see what a spacious field of knowledge he has 
coiprised ; and how many various designs, arguments, explications, 
instructions, and exhortations, he has executed in so small a com- 


pass. 
This letter was sent to the world’s metropolis, where it might be 
exposed to all sorts of persons, Heathens, Jews, Christians, Phalose- 
Magi. and the Emperor himself. And | make no doubt 
that the apostle kept this in view while he was writing ; and guarded 
and adapted it accordingly. 
__ However, it is plain enough it was designed to confute the unbde- 
lieving, and to instruct the believing Jew; to confirm the Christian, 


bil SURVEY OF THE 


} 
and to convert the idolatrous Gentile. Those se designs he 
reduces to one scheme, by opposing and arguing wi e infidel or 


unbelieving Jew, in favour of the Christian or believing Gentile. 

Upon this plan, if the unbelieving Jew escaped and remained un- 
convinced; yet the Christian Jew would be more inoffensively, and 
more effectually instructed in the nature of the Gospel, and the kind 
brotherly regards he ought to have to the believing Gentiles, than if 
he had directed his discourse plainly and immediately to him. Butif 
his arguments should fail, in reference to the believing Jew, yet the 
believing Gentile would see his interest in the covenant and kingdom 
of God as solidly established, by a full confutation of the Jewish ob- 
jections, (which were the only objections that could, with any show 
of reason, be advanced against it,) as if the epistle had been written 
for no other purpose. And thus it is of the greatest use to us at this 
day. ; 

It is also at present exceedingly useful, as it entirely demolishes 
the engrossing pretensions, and imposing principles of the church of 
Rome. For a professed faith in Christ, and a subjection to him, is, 
in this epistle, fully shown to be the only Gospel condition of a place 
in his church, an interest in the covenant of God, and of Christian 
fellowship. By this extensive principle God broke down the pales 
of his own ancient inclosure, the Jewish church; and, therefore, by 
the same principle, more strongly forbids the building any other par- 
tition-wall of schemes, and terms of Christian fellowship, devised by 
human wisdom, or imposed by human authority. He then, who ‘pro- 
fesses faith in Christ, and subjection to him, is, by the apostle, allow- 
ed and demonstrated to be a member of the true visible church, and 
to have a right to all its privileges. 

Both ancients and moderns make heavy complaints of the obscu- 
rity of this epistle, though all agree it'is a great and useful perform- 
ance. Origen, one of the Fathers, compares our apostle to a person 
‘who leads a stranger into a magnificent palace, but perplexed with 
various cross and intricate passages, and many remote and secret, 
apartments ; shows him some things at a distance, out of an opulent 
treasury; brings some things near to his view; conceals others from 
it; often enters in at one door, and comes out at another; so that 
the stranger is surprised, and wonders whence he came, where he is, 
and how he shall get out:’””? But we shall have a tolerable idea of this 
princely structure, if we observe that it consists of four grand parts 
or divisions. The first division contains the five first chapters; the 
seeond, the sixth, seventh, and eighth; the third, the nmtb, tetth, 
and eleventh; the fourth, the five last chapters. on 

Parr I.—Displays the riches of Divine grace, as free to all man- 
kind. Jews and Gentiles are equally sinful and obnoxious to wrath ; 
and, therefore, there was no way for the Jew to be continued in the 

- kingdom of God, but by Grace through Farru; and by grace and 
faith the Gentile might be admitted into it.—To reject this way of 
justification, was to reject the very method in which Abraham him- 
self was justified, or interested in the covenant made with him; in 
which covenant, believing Gentiles were included as well as be- 


‘EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS. lix 


lieving Jews ; and had as great or greater privileges, to glory in.— 
But if the Jew should pertinaciously deny that, he could not deny 
that all mankind are interested in the grace of God, which removes 
the eonsequence of Adam’s offence. Through that offence all man- 
kind were subjected to death; and through Christ’s obedience alt 
mankind should be restored to life at the last day. The resurrec- 
tion from the dead is, therefore, a part of the grace of God in the 
Redeemer. And if all mankind have an interest in this part of the 
grace of God, why not in the whole of it? If all mankind were sub- 
jected to death through Adam’s one offence; is it not much more 
reasonable that, through the opposite nobler cause, the obedience of 
the Son of God, all mankind should be interested in the whole of the 
grace which God has established upon it? And as for law, or the 
rule of right action, it was absurd for any part of mankind to ex- 
pect pardon, or any blessedness upon the foot of that, seeing all man- 
kind had broken it. And it was still more absurd, to seek pardon 
and life by the law of* Moses, which condemned those that were 
under it to death for every transgression.—Ch. i.—v. 

Part II.—Having proved that believing Jews and Gentiles were 
pardoned, and interested in all the privileges and blessings of the 
Gospel, through mere grace; he next shows the obligations laid 
upon them to a life of virtue and piety, under the new dispensation. 
And upon this subject he adapts this discourse to the Gentile Chris- 
ztians in the sixth chapter ; and in the seventh, and.part of the eighth, 
he turns himself to the Jewish Christians: then, from verse 12. to 
the end of the eighth chapter, he addresses himself, upon the same 
head, to both Christian Jews and Geniiles; particularly, giving 
them right notions of the sufferings to which they were exposed, and 
by which they might be deterred from the duties required in the 
Gospel; and concluding with a very strong and lively assertion of 
the certain perseverance of all who love God, notwithstanding any 
infirmities or trials in this world.—Ch. vi.—viii, 

Part II].—Gives right sentiments concerning the rejection of the 
Jews, which was a matter of great moment to the due establishment 
of the Gentile converts.—Ch. ix.—xi. 

Pant 1V.—Is filled with exhortationsto several instances of Chris- 
tian duty; and concludes with salutations to and from particular 
psrsons. It will be an advantage to the reader to-have this sketch 
of.the epistle ready in his thoughts.—Ch. xii.—xvi. 

_ Farther: we cannot enter into the spirit of this epistle, unless ‘we 
enter into the spirit of a Jew in those times ; and have some just no- 
tion of his utter aversion to the Gentiles; his valuing and raising 
himself high upon his relation to God and to 4braham; upon his 
law, and pompous worship, circumcision, &c. as if the Jews were 
the only people in the world who had any manner of right to the 
favour of God. 

' And let it also be well noted, that the apostle, in this epistle, dis- 
putes with the whole body of the Jews, without respect to any parti- 
cular sect or party among them, such as Pharisees, Sadducees, &c. 
For the grand proposition or question in debate is, 4re we Jews, bet- 


Ix SURVEY OF THE |), 


ter than THEY, Gentiles? chap. iii. 9. And one 1ent in proof 
of the negative, which the apostle espouses, zs tht iii, 29, «Is 
God the God of the Jews only? is he not also of the les? Yes, 
of the Gentiles also.”” These are’ the two points which the 


Lastly, The whole epistle is to be taken in connexion, or consider- 
ed as one continued discourse ; and the sense of every part must be 
taken from the drift of the whole. Every sentence or verse, is not 
to be regarded as a distinct mathematical gneoniar theorem; 
or as a sentence in the book of Proverbs, jose sense is absolute, 
and independent of what goes before or comes after: but we must 
remember, that every sentence, especially in the argumentative 
part, bears relation to, and is dependent upon, the whole discourse ; 
and cannot be understood unless we understand the scope and drift 
of the whole. And, therefore, the whole epistle, or at least the 
eleven first chapters of it, ought to be read over at once, without 
-stopping. po 

As to the use and exellency of this epistle, I shall leave it to speak 
for itself, when the reader has studied and well digested the contents 
ofit. And methinks curiosity, if nothing else, should invite us to 
examine carefully the doctrine, by which (accompanied with the 
gifts and operations of the Spirit of God) a few men, otherwise 
naked, weak, and contemptible, in opposition to the power, learning, ° 
and deep-rooted prejudices of the world, confronted and overthrew 
the pagan religion and idolatry throughout the Roman empire. A 
victory far more difficult and surprising than all the achievements of 
Alexander and Cesar. The fact cannot be denied. And surely the 
dignity and virtue of the cause must be proportionable to such an 
unusual and wonderful event. It is certain the world never, either 
before or since, has seen any thing equal to the writings of the New 
Testament. Never was the love of God, and the dignity to which 
he has raised the human nature, so clearly shown and demonstrated ; 
never were motives so divine and powerful proposed to induce us 
to the practice of all virtue and goodness. In short, there we find 
‘whatever ennobles and adorns the mind; whatever gives solid peace 
and joy; whatever renders us the most excellent and happy crea- 
tures, taught, recommended, and enforced by light and authority 
derived from the only Fountain of truth and ofall good. 

As to the apostle’s manner of writing; it is with great spirit and 
force, I may add, perspicuity too; for it will not be difficult to under- 
stand hin) if our minds are unprejudiced, and at liberty to attend:to 
the subject he is upon, and to the current scriptural sense of the 
words he uses. For he keeps very strictly to the standard of Scrip- 


=m. —. 


EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS. — Ixi 


ture phraseology. He takes great care to guard and explain every 
part of his subject. And I may venture to say he has left no part of 
it unexplained or unguarded. Never was author more exact and 
cautious in this than he. Sometimes he writes notes upon a sentence, 
liable to exception, and wanting explanation, as Rom. ii. 12—16. 
Here the 13th and 15th verses are a comment upon the former part 
of it. Sometimes he comments upon a single word: as chap, x. 11, 
12, 13. The 12th and 13th verses are a comment upon vas, every 
one, in the 11th. : 

He was studious of a perspicnous brevity. Chap. v.13, 14, ‘For 
until the law, sin was in the world; but sin is not imputed when 
law is not in being. Nevertheless, death reigned from Adam to 
Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the likeness of 
Adam’s transgression.’? Surely never was a greater variety of use- 
ful sentiments crowded into a smaller compass; and yet so skilfully, 
that one part very clearly explains another. Hence we learn, 1. 
That here impuiing of sin means, men’s being subject to death for 
sin; for it follows, ‘‘ Nevertheless death reigned.’’ 2. That law is 
the constitution that subjects the sinner to death; for he saith, “‘ Sin 
is notimputed when law isnot in being.”” 3, That wniil the law, is 
the times before the law of Moses was given; for he saith, “ Never- 
theless death reigned from Adam to Moses.’? Until the law, is the 
Same as until Moses. 4. That law was not in being from Adam to 
Moses; for having said, ‘‘ when law is not in being,’* he immediately 
adds, ‘nevertheless, death reigned from Adam to Moses.” 5. That 
Adam was under the law; for if the law was not in being from Adam, 
or after the dispensation he was under, it is plain it was in being 
before; or, that law was the dispensation under which God placed 
Adam, 6.That the clause, ‘‘even over those that had not sinned 
after the likeness of 4dam’s transgression,’’ is not to be understood 
only of some particular persons, as infanis, but of all that lived from 
Adam to Moses, because none that lived from Adam to Moses were 
under the law, and so none could “ sin after the likeness’’ of Adam’s 
transgression. 7. That the law was in being after Moses, for it was 
not in being from Adam to Moses, which evidently supposes it was in 
being afterward, and that the Jews, from that time, sinned after the 
likeness of Adam’s transgression, or were by the law condemned to 
death for every transgression. 8. Lastly, from the whole it is evi- 
dent that, from Adam to Moses, men did not die for their own per- 
sonal transgressions, but in consequence of Adam’s one transgression, 
which is the point to be proved. One shall hardly find in any other 
author, an argument so justly managed, so fully established, attended 
with such a variety of instructive sentiments, in the compass of thirty 
words; for, setting aside the articles, there are no more in the 
Greek, It is by this unparalleled art, that the apostle has brought 
such a variety of arguments, instructions, and sentiments, all stated, 
proved, and sufficiently guarded, explained, and defended, within the 
limits of this letter; which has made it a magazine of the most real, 
extensive, useful, and profitable knowledge. 

He treats his countrymen, the Jews, with great caution and ten- 

6 


ROG LP ee a 
Ili SURVEY OF THE EPISTLE, &e. 


derness. He had a natural affection for them, was very desirous of 

winning them over to the Gospel ; he knew that their passions and 

prejudices were very strong for their own constitution ; therefore, in 

his debates with them, he avoids every thing harsh, introduces every 

kind and endearing sentiment, and is very nice in choosing soft and 

inoffensive expressions, so far as he honestly could, for he never flat- 
_ters, nor dissembles the truth, 

His transitions and advances to an ungrateful subject are very 
dexterous and apposite, as chap. ii. 1—17. viii. 17. 

He often carries on a complicated design, and while he is teaching 
one thing, gives us an opportunity of learning one or two more. So 
chap. xiii. 1—8. he teaches the duty of subjects, and at the same time 
instructs magistrates in their duty, and shows the true grounds of 
their authority. ; 

He is a nervous reasoner, and a close writer, who never loses sight 
of his subject, and who throws in every colour that may enliven it. 

He writes under a deep and lively sense of the truth and impor- 
tance of the Gospel, as a man who clearly understood it, and in 
whose heart and affections it reigned far superior to all temporal 
considerations.”” 

See Dr. Taylor’s Preface to the Romans. 


There is so much good sense and sound criticism in the above 
remarks, that I cannot help considering them of high importance to 
a proper understanding of this epfstle. The apostle’s manner of 
writing is here well vindicated; and proved to be close, nervous, and 
conclusive: and such a testimony, from such a man as Dr. Taylor, 
must, with every unprejudiced reader, outweigh the miserable sen- 
timent of that philosopher, who, while professing to hold the same 
creed with the above writer, has had the awful temerity to say, that 
St. Panl was ‘‘ An inconclusive reasoner.”’ By such a saying, a maa 
fixes the broad seal to his own incompetency to judge either of the 
apostle’s writings or doctrine. 

In the preceding pages I have borrowed largely from the work of 
Dr. Taylor, on a full conviction that it is the best ever written upon 
this subject, that it is indispensably necessary to a proper understand- 
ing of the apostolic writings; and that I could not hope to equal it 
by any production of my own. Those parts of his Key which did not 
fall in with my plan, I have taken the liberty to pass by; the rest I 
have greatly abridged, and only added a few notes wi I thought 
there might be any danger of misapprehending the —A, C. 

_ May 21, 1814. 


‘ 


ro) ee “a. ay 


THE 
"EPISTLE OF PAUL THE APOSTLE 


TO THE 


ROMANS. 


— >be 4c 


Wear of the Constantinopolitan era of the world, 5566.—Year of the Alexandrian era 
~of the world, 5560.—Year of the Antiochian era of the world, 5550.—Year of the 
Julian Period, 4768.—Year of the Ussherian era of the world, 4062.—Year of the 
two hundred and ninth Olympiad, 2.—Year from the building of Rome, according 
to the Roman account, 811.—Year of the era of the Seleucide, 370.—Year of the 
Cesarean era of Antioch, 106.—Year of the Julian era, 103.—Year of the Spanish 
era, 96.—VYear from the Birth of Christ, 62.—Year of the vulgar era of 8 
nativity, 58.—Year of the Dionysian Period, or Easter Cycle, 59.—Wear of the 
Grecian Cycle of nineteen years, 2, or the first embolismic.—Vear of the Jewish 
Cycle of nineteen years, 18.—Year of the Solar Cycle, 11.—Dominical Letter A.— 
Epact, or the Moon’s age at the commencement of the year, 11.—Jewish passover, 
Saturday, March 25.—Easter Sunday, March 26.—Year after Bissextile, or 
Leap-year, 2.—Year of the reign of the Emperor Nero Cesar, 5.—Year of Clau- 
dius Felix, the Jewish governor, 6.—Year of the reign of Vologesus, king of the 
Parthians, 9.—VYear of Caius Numidius Quadratus, governor of Syria, 8.—High- 

sid the Jews, Joseph.—Consuls, Nero Augustus the third time, and Valerius 
qssala. 


—_—— 


CHAPTER I. 


St. Panl shows the Romans his divine call to the apostleship, and for what 
end he was thus called, I—6. His salvtation to the church at Rome, and 
his commendation of their faith, 7,8: His earnest desire to see'them, that 
he might impart to them some_spiritual gifts, 9—15. His description of 
the Gospel of Christ, 16,17. The crimes and profligacy of the Gentile 
world, which called aloud for the judgments of God, 18—32. 


AUL, aservant of Jesus Christ, * called to be an apos- 
tle, ° separated unto the Gospel of God, 


a Acts 22.21. 1Cor.1.1. Gal. 1.1. 1Tim. 1.11. &2.7. 2Tim. 1. 11.—> Acts 
9. 15. & 13.2. Gal. 1. 15. 


PRELIMINARY OBSERVATIONS. 

Different interpreters have divided this epistle into certain parts 
or divisions, by which they suppose its subject and matter may be 
the better understood. Some of these divisions have been mentiened 
an the preceding preface. ; 

e epistle contains three grand divisions. 

1. The Prerace, chap. i, 1—17. 


2 


64 ROMANS.—CHAP. J. 


2 (* Which he had promised afore » by his prophets in 
the holy Scriptures,) be e 


4 See on Acts 26.6. Tit. 1. 2.—b Ch, 3, 21. & 16.26. Gal. 3.8, 


. If. The Tractation, or setting forth of the main subject, inelu- - 
ding two sections, 1. Dogmatic, or what relates to Doctrine. 2. Pare- 
netic, or what relates to the necessity and importance of the virtues 
and duties of the Christian life. The Dogmatic part is included in 
the first eleven chapters, the grand object of which is to show, that 
eternal salvation cannot be procured by any observance of the Jewish 
law, and can be hoped for only on the Christian scheme; for by the 
works of the law no man can be justified ; but what the law could not 
do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God accomplished by 
sending his. Son into the world, who becoming an offering for sin, 
condemned sin in the flesh. he Parenetic part commences with 
chap. xii.1. I beseech you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, 
that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, haly, acceptable unto God, 
which is your reasonable service, &c. and extends to chap. xv. 14. 

If]. The Peroration or Epilogue, which contains the author’s apo- 
logy for writing ; his commendation of his apostolical office ; his pro- 
mise to visit them ; his request ofan interest in their prayers ; his com- 
mendations of certain persons, and his salutations to others. These 
points are contained in the succeeding parts of the epistle, from chap. 
xv. 14. to chap. xvi. 24. The 25th, 26th, and 27th verses of this 
chapter evidently belong to another part of the epistle, and should 
come in, as they do in a vast majority of the best MSS. after the 23d 
verse of the xiv. chapter. oe 

For every thing necessary to a general knowledge of the epistle 
itself, see the preceding preface, especially p. lviii- 

The iascriptions to this epistle are various in the different MSS, 
and versions. The following are the principal:—TZo the Romans— 
The Epistle of Paul to the Romans—The Epistle of Paul the Apostle 


to the Romans—The Epistle of the Holy Apostle Paul to the Romans. 


The word «y:0¢, holy, we have translated saint; and thus, instead 
of saying the holy Paul, &c. we say Saint Paul, &c. and this is now 
bronght into general use. ‘The older the MSS. are, the more simple 
the appellatives given to apostles and apostolic men. 


NOTES ON CHAPTER I. " 

Verse 1. Paul, a servant ef Jesus Christ] The word Source, 
which we translate servant, properly means a slave, one who is the 
entire property of his master; and is used here by the apostle with 
great propriety. He felt he was not Ais own, and that his life and 
powers belonged to his heavenly owner, and that he had no right to dis- 
pose of, or employ them but in the strictest subserviency to the will 
of his Lord. In this sense, and in this spirit, he is the willing slave 
of Jesus Christ: and this is, perhaps, the highest character which any 
soul of man can attain on this side eternity. “I am wholly the 
Lord’s; and wholly devoted in the spirit of sacrificial obedience to 


‘ROMANS.—CHAP. I. 65 


3 Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, * which was 
» made the seed of David according to the flesh ; 
_ 4 And’¢ declared 4 to be the Son of God with power, ac- 


See 
@ Matt. 1,6,16. Luke 1.32. Acts2.30. 2 Tim. 2. 8.—b John 1. 14, Gal. 4. 4. 
‘ ¢ Gr. determined.—4 Acts 13. 33. 


sie 
the constant, complete, and energetic performance of the Divine will.” 
A friend of God is high; a son of God is higher; but the servant, or 
in the above sense, the slave of God, is higher than all; in a word, he 
is a person who feels he has no property in himself, and that God is 
all, and in all. 

Called to be an apostle] The word axesoacs, apostle, from amrocea- 
assy, to send,. signifies simply a messenger or envoy; one sent on a 
confidential errand; but here it means an extraordinary messenger ; 
one sent by God himself, to deliver the most important message on 
behalf of his Maker: in a word, one sent by the divine authority to 
preach the Gospel to the nations. ‘The word xautos, called, signifies 
here the same as constituted, and should be joined with exosoaoc, as 
itis inthe Greek, and translated thus, Paul, a servant of Jesus Chris, 
constituted an apostle, &c. This sense the word called, has in 
many places of the Sacred Writings; ¢.g. Behold what manner of 
love the Father hath besiowed on us, that we should be called, xrn8w- 
ey, CONSTITUTED, or made the sons of God. When applied to men 
in general, it signifies to be invited; i.e. toembrace the Gospel. See 
ver. 6. As it is likely that no apostle had been employed in founding 
the church of Rome, and there was need of much authority to settle 
the matters that were there in dispute ; it was necessary that he should 
show them that he derived his authority from God; and was imme- 
diately delegated by him to preach and write as he was now doing. 

‘y Separated unto the Gospel] Set apart and appointed to this work, 
and to this only ; as the Israelites were separate from all the people 
of the earth, to be the servants of God, see Levit. xx. 26. St. Paul 
may here refer to his former state as a Pharisee, which literally sig- 
nifies a separatist, or one separated. Before, he was separated unto 
the service of his own sect ; now, he is separated unto the Gospel of 
God. On the word Gosrsz, and its meaning, see the preface to the 
notes on St. Matthew; and for the meaning of the word Pharisee, 
see the same Gospel, chap. iii. at the end. 

Verse 2. Which he had promised afore] Both in the law and in 
the prophets, God showed his purpose to introduce into the world a 
more perfect and glorious state of things: which state was to take 
Place by and under the influence of the Messiah ; who should bring 
life and immortality to light by his Gospel. 

Verse 3. Concerning his Son] That is, the Gospel relates every 
thing concerning the Conception, Birth, Preaching, Miracles, Pas- 
sion, Death, Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus Christ, who was of 
the seed royal, being, as far as his humanity was considered, the Son 
of David ; and then, the only rightful heir to the Israelitish throne. 

Verse 4.. And declared tobe the Son ofGod] Bee the note an Acts, 

6 


| 
6b ROMANS.—CHAP., I. 


cording * to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from 
the dead : 


5 By whom ?we have received grace and spostaltip; _° for 
* obedience to the faith among all nations, ¢ for his name: 


Ee 
a Hob. 9. 14.—b Ch. 12.3. & 15.15. 1 Opr. 15, 10. ‘ees. s, 3.8, 
© Or, to the obedience of faith.—d Acts 6. 7. 


chap. xuii. 33. where this subject is considered at large. The word 
spicbevros, which we render declared, comes from opsfw@, to bound, 
define, determine, or limit, and hence our word horizon, the dine that 
determines the farthest visible part of the earth, in reference to the 
heavens. In this place, the word signifies such a manifest and com- 

plete exhibition of the subject, as to render itendubilable. “The resur- 
revi of Christ from the dead, was sucha manifest proof of our 
Lord's innocence, the truth of his doctrine, and the of all 
that the prophets had spoken, as to leave no doubt on any consider- 
ate and candid mind. 

With power] Ey Suvaget, with a miraculous a of divine ener- 
gy; for, how could his body be raised again, but by the miraculous 
energy of God? Some apply the word here to of Christ’s 
Sonship ; asif it were said, that he was most mani declared to 
be the Son of God, with such powerful evidence —e as to 
render the truth irresistible. 

According to the spirit of holiness] There are many Gifkrencesof 
‘sentiment relative to the meaning of this phrase in this place; some 
supposing that the spirit of holiness implies the divine natureof Jesus 
Christ ; others, his immaculate sanctity, &c. To meitseems thatthe - 
apostlesimply means, that the person called Jesus, lately crucified at 
Jerusalem, and in whose name salvation was preached to the world, 
was the Son of God, the very Messiah promised before in the Holy 
Scriptures; and that he was this Messiah, was amply demonstrated. 
1st. By his resurrection from the dead, the irrefragable proof of his 
purity, innocence, and the divine approbation; for, had he been a 
malefactor, as the Jews pretended, the miraculous power of God 
would not have been exerted in raising his body from: the dead. 
2d. He was proved to be the Son of God, the promised Messiah, by 
‘the Holy Spirit, (called here the Spirit of holiness) which he sent 
down upon his apostles, and not on them only, but on all that believ- 
ed on his name; by whose influence multitudes were convinced of 
Sin, righteousness, and judgment, and multitudes sanctified unto God; 
‘@md it was by the peculiar unction of this one of holiness, that the 
‘apostles gave witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, Acts iv. 
33. Thus then Christ was proved to be the true Messiah, the Son of 
David, according to the flesh, having the sole ssiuine teat 
Israel; and God recognised this character, and 
currection from the dead, and sending forth the various on ante 
ces of the Spirit of holiness in his name. # ) 

Verse 5. Grace and aposileship] The peculiar influence, and the 
essential qualifications which such an office requires: without tre 


SS 


ROMANS.—CHAP. I. a7 


6 Among whom are ye also the called of Jesus Christ : 
7 To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, * called to be 


‘aCh. 9.24. 1Cor.1.2. 1 Thess. 4.7. 


@RACE, favour, and peculiar help of God, he could not have been 
an a he had an extraordinary conversion ; and an extraordi- 
nary to preach the Gospel. Probably x2e17 eas amogoany, 
grace and apostleship, mean the same as y2err rs arosonne, the 
apostolical office ; for so the word y%2egc means in chap. xii.3. xv- 
15. 1 Cor. iii, 10. Eph. iii. 8. See the various acceptations of the 
word grace, on verse 7. 

- For obedience to the faith] That by this office, which I have re- 
ceived from God, and the power by which it is accompanied, I might 
proclaim the faith, the Gospel of Jesus; and show all! nations the 
necessity of believing in it, im order to their salvation. Here is, first, 
the Gospelof the Son of God—2. An apostle divinely commissioned 
and empowered to preach it—3. The necessity of faith in the name 
of Jesus, as the only Saviour of the world—4. Of obedience, as the 
necessary consequence of genuine faith—and, 5. This is to be pro- 
claimed among all nations; that all might have the opportunity of 
believing and being saved. 

» Verse 6. Ye are the called} Ye Romans are all invifed to believe in 
Christ Jesus, for the salvation of your souls: and to you, with the 
rest, my apostolical mission extends. Thisappears to be the most ob- 
yious sense of the word called in this place—to be called by the Gos- 
pel, isto be invited to believe in Christ Jesus, and become his disci- 
ples. The word sometimes means constituted, or made, as in verse 1. 

Verse 7. Called to be sainis} Invited to become holy persons, by 
believing the Gospel, and receiving the gifts of the Holy Ghost. Or 
here the word may have the meaning of made or constituted, as 
above; zawtots azicss, to all that be in Rome, coNSTITUTED saints, 
for they had already received the Gospel grace; and were formed 
into a Christian church. 

Grace to you] Xess vty, may you be partakers of the Divine 
farour, the source whence every blessing is derived. 

I think it necessary, once for all, to give the several acceptations 
of this word grace, which occur in the Sacred Writings. 

1.. The word yagi, signifies in general, favour, or benevolence, 
but especially that favour which is powerful and active, and loads its 
object with benefits. Luke i. 30, Fear not, Mary, thou hast found 
Pavour, xe, with God. Luke ii. 40, And the child grew—and 
the Grace of God, x 221s Qecv, the favour of God was uponhim. Ib. 
v.52, And Jesus increased in FAVOUR, y2piTt, GRACE, with God ~ 
and man. Actsii. 47, Having Favour, x2@!v, GRACE, with ail. the 

Acts iv. 33, 4nd great GRACE, y%2e1s, FAVOUR, was upon 
themall. The apostles were at that time im universal favour with 
the multitude. In this sense the word occurs in a great yariety of 
places, both in the Old and New Testaments. tre 

2. Hence it is often used for the blessing which it dispenses ; for, 
if God be foruurably disposed toward 2 person. bis beneficent acts im 


a. S| oe 
68 ROMANS,—CHAP. 1. P 


saints: *Grace to you, and peace from God our Father, 
and the Lord Jesus Christ. 


21Cor. 1.3. 2Cor.1.2. Gal. 1.3. ‘~ 


that person’s behalf will be a necessary consequence of sueh favour. 
” Jobn i. 14, Full of Grace and truth; accomplished in all spiritual 
blessings. Ib. v. 16, And Grace upon GRACE: he who is full of 
the most excellent blessings, confers them liberally on all believers. 
Acts xi. 23, When he had seen the GRACE of God, i. e. he had the 
fullest evidence that they were richly endowed with heavenly gifts. 
1 Cor. i. 4, For the GRAcE of God which is given you, the Divine 
blessings conferred upon you. 2 Cor. ix. 8, God is able to make all 
GRACE abound toward you; i. e. to enrich you with every benedic- 
tion. This also is a very common acceptation of the word; and in 
this sense the word grace, or favour, is now generally understood 
among religious people. The grace of God meaning with them some 
divine or spiritual blessing communicated. ~ 
3. It is sometimes taken for the whole of the Christian religion, 
as being the grandest possible display of God’s favour, to a lost, ruin- 
ed world: and in this sense it appears to be used. Johni. 17, For 
the Law was given by Moses; but GRacB and truth came by Jesus 
Christ ; where the term GRACE is evidently opposed to Law; the 
latter meaning the Mosaic, the other the Christian, -dispensation. 
Acts xiii. 43, Barnabas persuaded them to continue in the GRACE of 
God—i. e. to hold fast their profession of the religion of Christ. Rom. 
vi. 14, Ye are not under the Law, but under GRACE: ye are no longer 
under obligation to fulfil the Mosaic precepts; but are under the 
Christian dispensation.—See also verse 15, of the same chap. and see 
2 Cor. i: 10. vi. 1. Gal. i. 6. Coloss. i. 6.2 Tim.ii. 1. Tit. ii. 11, The 
“GRACE of God, that bringeth salvation to all men, hath appeared. 
.” he Jewish religion was restricted in its benefils to a few; but the 
‘ ice religion proposes the salvation of a// men; and the Author 


Rt it has become a sacrifice for the sins of the whole world. Heb. xii. 
“95, Looking diligently lest any man fallfrom the GRacE of God ; lest 
any man apostatize from the Christian religion, and the blessings of 
pardon and holiness which he has received through it. 1 Pet. v. 12, 
This is the true GRAcE of God wherein ye stand. The Christian 
religion which ye have received, is the genwine religion of nbs 
__ 4. It signifies all the blessings and benefits which Christ has pur- 
ehased: and which he gives to true believers, both im fime and efer- 
nity. See Rom. v. 15. and 17. where the grace of God is opposed 
to death ; i. e. to all the wretchedness and misery brought into the 
world by Adam’s transgression.—1 Cor. xvi. 23, The Grace of the 
Lord Jesus Christ be with you all: may every blessing purchased by 
Christ’s passion and death be the portion of you all, Gal. v. 4, Ye 
are fallen from GRacz—ye have lost the blessings of the Gospel by 
submitting to cireumcision. 
5. It signifies the apostolic and ministerial office ; or the authority 
to propagate the Christian religion ; and the unction or influence by 
which that office is executed: so in fhe 5th verse of this chapter, a¢ 


ROMANS:—CHAP. 1. 69 


8 First, *] thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, 
that » your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world. 


a1Cor.1.4. Phil. 1.3. Col.1.3,4. 1Thess.1.2. Philem. 4—)Ch. 16. 19. 

; 1 Thess. 1. 8. ; = 
eee oo 
has been already noted—By whom we have received GRACE and 
apostleship, or, the apostolic office. Rom. xii. 3, I say, through the 
GRACE given unto me: i. e. 1 command you by the authority of my 
apostolic office, &c. See also verse 6. , 

6. It signifies a gift, salary, or money collected for the use of the 
poor. 1 Cor. xvi. 3, Whomsoever ye shall approve—them will I send 
to bring your LIBERALITY, tay Xagsv uMav, your GRACE—i. e. the 
collection made for the poor saints: see ver.1. 2Cor. viii. 4, Pray- 
ing us—that we would receive ihe GIFT, Thy yagi, the GRACE, the 
contribution made in the churches of Macedonia, for the relief of the 
poor. In this sense it is used in Kcclus. xvii. 22, He will keep the 
GOOD DEEDS of man, xaeir, the same as cacnmocuvn, alms, in the be- 
ginning of the verse, and it signifies a kind or friendly act, in the 
same author. Chap. xxix. 15, Forget not the FRIENDSHIP, y2eITa¢, 
of thy surety. GRACE, or y2ets, was a deity among the ancients; 
and the three GRACES, at rgets yaeires, were called Pitho, Aglaiq, 
and Euphrosyne ; TeOw, mild persuasion: Ayaaia, dignity: Eugeo- 
sovn, liberality and joyfulness: and these were always painted naked, 
to show that all benefits should be gratuitous, this being essential to 
the nature of a gift. See Suidas, in yagiras. 

7. It sometimes signifies merely thanks or thanksgiving.—See 
Luke xvii. 9, Doth he THanxK, wa x2ev ext, that servant? Rom. 
vi. 17, But God be THANKED, x2els dc ra Gew. 1 Cor. x. 30, 
For of I by GRacw, x2gi¢1, THANKSGIVING, as our margin has it, 
and properly. 

8. It signifies remuneration, wages, or reward. Luke vi. 32, 33, 
and 34, If ye love them that love you—do good to them which do good 
to you—lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what THANK have 
ye? wore vas yaete est, what RHWARD have ye? This appears, 
from the parallel place, Matt, v. 46. to be most evidently: the mean- 
ing: Ti7 wsobop exere; what REWARD have ye? The word is used 
in this sense by several Greek writers. 

9, It signifies whatever is the means of procuring the favour or 
kindness of another. 1 Pet. ii. 19, 20, For_this is THANK WORTHY, 
wovTo yep yx2~ers wage Oew, this is the means of PROCURING FA~- 
vour from God. 

10. It signifies joy, pleasure, and gratification, which is the mean- 
ing of yae2, and with which it is often confounded in the New Tes- 
tament. Philemon 7, For we have great sox, xagiv yae exopev 
monauy. Tobit vii. 18, The Lord give thee tox, xagiv, for thes thy 
sorrow. In this sense the word is used by the best Greek writers ; 
and in this sense it appears to be used, 2 Cor. i. 15. 5 

11. It signifies the performance of an act which is pleasing or 
srateful to others. Acts xxiv. 27, Felix, willing to show the Jews a 


70 ROMANS. —CHAP q. 


‘9 For * God ‘is my witness, bitbei I serve ¢ with my 
spirit'in the Gospel of his Son, that’ ¢ without ceasing T 
make mention of you always in my prayers; §" 


#Ch. 9.1. 2Cor. 1.93, Phil. 1. 8. 1'Thess, 2. 5—» Acts 27.23. 2'Tim. 1. 3— 
¢ Or, in my spirit. John 4. 23, 24. Phil. 3.3.4 1 Thess. 3. 10.. =. 


PLEASURE, yeeitac xavabecbar, to perform we which he knew 
would be highly gratifying to them. eh 

12. It signifies whatever has the power o. to procure ‘fas 
vour, &c. Suayity, kindness, benevolence, fei demenam Luke 
iv. 22, 4il wondered at ihe GRACIOUS words, of Aoyor THe agiros, 
the benevolent, kind, and tender expressions ; such &s his text, ver. 18. 
would naturally lead him to speak—He hath anointed me to preach 
the Gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the ro 8 Lee 
preach deliverance to the captives,.&c. ‘Eph. eae tear ‘Col, iv. 
your speech be always with GRACE? i. e. 
savouring of the doctrine of Christ ; it is thus Aw several oui Grom 
writers. See Schleusner. As the word yagir, GRACE, most fre- 
quently signifies some blessing or benefit, caleulated to promote hu- 
man happiness : it is generally derived from xarpast reeice, cera 
of the effect produced by the blessing. 

And peace] E:puyx, the same as pe shalom in Hebrew; gene- 
rally signifying all kinds of blessing, but especially harmony and 
unity—and the bond of such unity. The most probable 
of the word cipury, is from «ipa, f bind, and ¢, one—because p 
unites and binds those who were, by discord, before 
the New Testament it signifies—1. Peace, public or private, in the 
general acceptation of the word, as implying reconciliation and 
friendship : and to the etymology of the word the apostle seems to 
allude in Eph. iv. 3, Endeavouring to keep the unity of the: Spirit, 
in the BOND of PEAcE. Acts xii. "20, They of Tyre and Sidon de- 
stred PEACE; they sought reconciliation with Herod, by means of 
Blastus the king’s chamberlain. atv, 

2. It signifies regularity, good order. 1Cor- xiv. 33, is not 
the God of confusion, but of PEACE. nee 

3. It signifies the labour or study of preserving peace enddinicérd: 
and this is supposed to be its meaning, Matt.x. 34. Luke xii 5. 1. and 
Acts vii. 26. Rom. xiv. 17, For the kingdom of God is—righteous- 
. and PEACE. The Chinttia! dispensation admits of no contention, 

ut inculcates peace. 1 Cor. vii. 15, God hath called us to PEACE— 
tolabour to preserve quictness and concord. Heb. ii. 14, Follow 
PEacE—labour to preserve it. 

4. It-signifies the author or procurer of peda cited. Eph. 
= He is our PEacE—the author of Conaenes ‘betwint Jews and 

tiles. 

5. It signifies the Gospel and its blessings. fut. a 17, And came 
and preached PEACE to you which were afar off; and omen tha? 
enere nigh.. 


ey 


ROMANS.—CHAP. 1 of 
10°* Making request, if by any means now at length I 


might have a prosperous journey ” by the ena God fe 
come unto you. 


= sCh. 15-93,32%, I'Thess: 3. 10\—i James 4 15 


oe. ifies all kinds of mental and corporeal happiness; and es- 
pecially happiness of Christians. Luke i. 79, To guide our feet 
inte the way of PEACE; to show us the way to obtain true 
Lake xix. 42, The things which belong univ thy pRacz—that by 
which thou mightest have been made truly happy. 1 Thess. v. 23, 
The very God of pEack—God, the ouly source of true felicity. 
ar Sipe These things have I spoken unto you, that im me ye 
have epacu—that ye might have confidence and happiness im 
on meas your ouly Saviour. 
signifies goad wishes and affectionate prayers. Matt. x. 13, 
pe ped harm, your PEACH come upon it. Our Lord 
commands his ver. 12. to salute the house into which 


the 

8. Tt signifies praise. Luke xix. 38, Puact in heaven, and giory 
in the highesi.- May all the heavenly host praise God, and give him 
the highest honour ! 

9. It signifies benignity, benevolence, favour. Rom.v.1, Being 
justified by faith, we have emace with Gad. In consequence of 
haying our sins forgiven, we have 2 clear sense of the Divine far 
vour. Philip.iv.7, The peacn of God which passeth all under- 
standing : the imexpressible blessedness of 2 sense of the Divine 
favour. See Schleusner’s Lexicon. 

From God our Father] The apostle wishes them all the blessings 


pe Cie he) ln oe 


ak maoech ail a tos a for m: this sense 
we should understand the words the whale world. 

Verse 9. Whom I serve with my spirit] Aarpeua, whom ee 
with the religious reverence ; for so the original 
means = not only employ all the powers of my body in this ser 
but aff tiger of my sow! : being thoroughly convinced of the 


72 RowANs. JOR v 


‘11 For I long to see you, that “I may impart unto you 
some Spiritual gift, to the end ye may be established ; 
12 That is, that | may be comforted together » with you 
by the © mutual faith both of you and me, . P 
13 Now I would not have you ignorant, brethren, that 
4 oftentimes | have purposed to come unto you, (but * was 
let hitherto) that I might have some ‘ fruit 6 among you 
also, even as among other Gentiles. vi 
14 » [am debtor both to the Greeks, and to the Barba- 
rians ; both to the wise and to the unwise. 


a Ch. 15. 29.—b Or, in you.—e Tit. 1.4, 2Pet, 1. 1—d Ca yl Acts 16. 7. 


1 Thess. 1. 18.—f Phil. 4. 17.—g Or, in you.—b 1 


truth of the religion I preach. Probably St. Paul opposes, in this 
place, the spiritual worship of the Gospel, to the external, or what 
some call, the carnal worship of the Jews. Mine is not a religion of 
ceremonies, but one in which the life and power of the eternal Spirit, © 
are acknowledged and experienced. ah . 

Verse 10. Making request, &c.] By this we see how earnestly the 
apostle longed to see Rome. It had long been a subject of continual 
prayer to God, that he might have a prosperous journey to, or 
rather meeting with them, for so we should understand the word 
evodatnoouert that he had a prosperous meefing with them we 
cannot doubt: that he had a disastrous journey to them, the xxviith 
of the Acts fully proves. 

Verse 11. Some spiritual gift] This probably meanssome of the 
extraordinary gifts of the Holy Spirit; which, being given to them, 
might tend greatly to establish their faith in the Gospel of Christ ; 
and it is very likely, that such gifts were only conferred by means of 
apostles ; and as the apostle had not yet been at Romie, consequently 
the Roman Christians had not yet received any of these miraculous 
We and thus they differed widely from all the other churches which 

ad been raised by the apostle’s ministry. 

Verse 12. That I may be comforted together with you) He here, 

with great address, intimates that he longs for this opportunity, as 
well on his own account as on theirs; and to show them that he ar- 
rogates nothing to himself, for he intimates that it will require the 
conjoint action of their faith as well as his own, to be the means of 
receiving those blessings from God to which he refers. 
_ Verse 13. But was let hitherto] The word let, from the Anglo- 
Saxon, letztan, to Ainder, signifies zmpediment, or hinderance of any 
kind; but it is likely that the original word exwavOnp, I was forbid- 
den, refers to a Divine prohibition :—he would have visited them 
long before, but God did not see right to permit him. 

Verse 14. I amdebtor both to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians) 
It has been remarked before, that all the nations of the earth, them- 
selyes excepted, were termed barberians by the Greeks. See the 


‘ROMANS.—CHAP.-1, 73 


15 So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the Gos- 
pel to you that are at Rome also. 
16 For * | am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ : for 
SSS SS EE 
a Psar 40.9, 10. Mark 8.38. 2Tim.1.8. 


origin of the word barbarus, in the note on Acts, chap. xxviii. 2. 
The apostle considers himself, by his apostolical office and call, 
under cbligation to preach the Gospel to all people, as far as the pro- 
vidence of God might open his way ; for this is implied in the Divine 
commission—Go ye into all the world and preach ihe Gospel to every 
creature; to the wise and the unwise; to the learned and cultivatcd, 
as well as to the unlearned and uncultivated: this evidently appears 
to be the import of the terms. 

Verse 15. Iam ready to preach] Upebvgov; I havea ready mind, 
I was only prevented by the providence of God, from visiting you 
long ago. His time is best: in the mean time, I write by His direc- 
tion, to comfort and instruct you. 

Verse 16. I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ] This text is 
best illustrated by Isai. xxviii. 16. xlix. 23. quoted by the apostle 
chap. x. 11. For the Scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him 
shall not be ashamed ; i. e. they shall neither be confounded, nor dis- 
appointed of their hope. The Jews, by not believing on Jesus Christ, 
by not receiving him as the promised Messiah, but, trusting in others, 
have been disappointed, ashamed, an confounded, from that time, to 
the present day.- Their expectation is cut off; and while rejecting 
Christ, and expecting another Messiah, they have continued under 
the displeasure of God, and are ashamed of their confidence. On 
the other hand, those who have believed on Christ, have, in and 
through him, all the blessings of which the prophets spoke; every 
promise of God being yea and amen through him. Paul, as a Jew, 
believed on Christ Jesus; and in believing he had life through his 
name; through him he enjoyed an abundance of grace, so that being 
filled with that happiness which an indwelling Christ produces, he 
could cheerfully say, I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ. Aud 
why? because he felt it to be the power of God to the salvation of his 
believing soul. This appears to be the true sense of this passage, 
and this interpretation acquires additional strength, from the consi- 
deration that St. Paul is here most evidently addressing himself to 
the Jews. 

Tt is the power of God unto salvation] Avvapees yap @eou est. The 
almighty power of God accompanies this preaching to the souls of 
them that believe; and the consequence is, they are saved; and 
what but the power of God can save a fullen, ey soul ? 

To the Jew first] Not only the Jews have the first offer of this 
Gospel, but they have the greatest need of it; being so deeply fallen, 
and having sinned against such glorious privileges, they are much 
more culpable than the Gentiles, who nexer fad the light of a d?~ 
vine revelation, 


; 


an je 4 0 SSS ee 
ae 


74 ROMANS —CHAP. I. 


‘it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that 
believeth ; > to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. 

17 For © therein is the righteousness of God revealed 
ee Se ee ee 


a1 Cor. 1. 18. & 15, 2—> Luke 2. 38, 31, + Acts 3. 26. & 13. 26. 46. 
Ch. 2. 9.— Ch. 3. 21 


ind also to the Greek.| Though the salvation of God has hitherto 
been apparently co to the Jewish people ; yet it shall be so no 
longer, for the Gospel of Christ is sent to the Geniiles, as well as the 
Jews; God having put no difference between them ; and Jesus Christ 
having tasted death for EVERY man. 

Verse 17. For therein] In the Gospel of Christ. 

Is the righteousness of God] God's method of savi cr aeee by 
faith in Christ Jesus. » 


Revealed from faith to faith] Shown to be by Jase not by 
the works of any law; for Abraham, the father and of the 
Jewish people, was justified by faith, before even the law 7s 
and from believing in reference to the spiritaal object forth in 
the various ordinances of the law, ona now revealed. the Gos- 


pel, he and all his believing descendants have been justified. And 
thus the faith of the old covenant led on to the faith of the new 
covenant; which shows that salvation has been dy faith, from the 
call of Abraham to the present time. And from the > all 
that were jus! or righfeous in the earth, became such by. and 
by this principle alone, they were enabled to persevere; as it is 
written, the just shall live by faith. That Aimasecors, which we 
translate righteousness, in this verse, signifies wt a the er 
mankind by faith in Christ, is fally Fecorks. the 
in chap. ix. 30. Zhe Gentiles which followed not after 
NEss ; who had no knowledge by revelation, of God’s 
tifying and rile Se sinuers, have attained to RIGHTEOUSNESS ; haye 
had imparted to them God's method of salvation by faith in Christ, 
verse 31. But Israel, the Jews, which followed after the ime of 
that law, the end or object of which is Curist, and 
through him justification to all that believe; (ch. x. 4.) have not 
[alles to Cha baw of vig hiorenser have not found out the 
plan of salvation, even in that law which so strongly i erally 
“proclaims SS by faith; and why have ter and it? 
verse 32, because they sought! it not by faith, but as it 
_ works of the law; they did not discern that even its 
seribed religious observances were intended to lead 
Mediator, of whom they were the fypes and 
but the Jews trusted in the observances th 
justification and fina] salvation by that means. For 


ROMANS.—CHAP. I. 75 


from faith to faith: as it is written, ? The just shall live 
by faith... 


a Hab. 2.4. John 3.36. Gal. 3.11. Phil. 3.9. Heb. J0. 38. 


those rites and ceremonies which should have led them, by faith, to 
Christ; they did not submit themselves to the righteousness of God ; 
they would not submit to be saved in God’s way, and therefore re- 
jected, persecuted, and crucified the Lord Jesus, see chap. x. 3. This 
collation of passages, most evidently shows that the word righteous- 
ness, here means simply God’s method of saving sinners, or God’s 
way of salvation ; in opposition to the ways and means invented by 
the fancies or prejudices of men. p 

There are few words in the Sacred Writings which are taken in 
a greater variety of acceptations, than the word ypys isedekah in 
Hebrew, and Asmaiocuyn in Greek, both of which we generally 
translate righteousness. Our English word was originally rightwise- 
ness, from the Anglo-Saxon phe, justice, and pitan, to know; and. 
thus the rzghieous man Was a person who was allowed to understand 
the claims of justice and right, and who, knowing them, acted accord- 
ing to their dictates. Such a man is thoroughly wise, he aims at the 
attainment of the best end, by the use of the best means. This is a 
true definition of wisdom, and the righteous man is he that knows 
most and acts best. The Hebrew prs isadak, in its ideal meaning, 
contains the notion of a beam or scales in equipoise, what we call 
ever balanee ; and it is well known, that in all the personifications of 
justice, both ancient and modern, she is represented as a beautiful 
female with a bandage on her eyes, and a beam and scales in her 
hand, so perfectly poised that neither end preponderates. 

The Greek word Arezsorvyn, has been derived from diyefw, to 
divide ; and hence A:en, justice, because it is the property of this 
virtue to divide to each his due. With other etymologies, it is use- 
less to trouble the reader. Both the noun diz2so¢uyn, and the verb 
Sixzto@, have a great variety of meaning in the New Testament, 
but they are all reducible to this original idea, acting according to 
the requisitions of justice or right. It may not be improper to notice 
some of the chief of these acceptations in this place. 

1. The act of distributing to each man his due, is the sense of the 
word, Acts xvii. 31, He will judge the world in RIGHTEOUSNESS, 
i. e. according to the principles of eternal justice and rectitude. See 

also Rev. xix. 2, In n1GHTEOUSNESS doth he judge and make war. 

“* — 2. It signifies a holy life, as proceeding from piety towards God. 
Luke i, 75, Might serve him in holiness and RiGHTEOUSNESS all the 
days of our life. 

» 3. It signifies benignity, liberality, and particularly alms-giving ; 
as justice and righteousness require us, being only stewards of God’s 
bounty, to share it with the necessitous. Matt. vi. Take heed that ye 
do not your ALMS, dizztocuvay, your RIGHTEOUSNESS, before men. _ 
Rom, ii. 5, But if your unrighteousness commend the RIGHTEOUS- 


76 ROMANS.—CHAP. I. 


18 * For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against 
all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the 
truth in unrighteousness ; 


a Acts 17. 30. Eph. 5.6, Col. 3. 6. 


wEss, the benignity of God. 2 Cor. ix. 10, Increase the fruits of your 
RIGHTEOUSNESS, i. e. of your liberality. 

4, It signifies God’s method of saving sinners; the way which is 
agreeable to his righteousness and liberality. See the former part 
of this note, and the scriptures there referred to. 

5. It signifies the reward, or issue of liberality. 2 Cor. ix. 9, He 
hath scattered abroad; he hath given to the poor; his RiGHTEOUS- 
NEss, the reward of his bounty, remaineth for ever. See Psa. cxii. 9. 

6. It signifies the whole collection of graces, which constitute the 
complete Christian character. Matt. v. 6, Blessed are that 
hunger and thirst after RIGHTEOUSNESS; they who ardently long 
for the full salvation of God. Ib. v. 10, 20, If your RIGHTEOUSNESS 
exceed not the righteousness, &c. Ib. vi. 33, Seek the kingdom of 
God and his RIGHTEOUSNESS. 

7. It signifies the result of faith in God, and submission to his will, 
exemplified in a holy and useful life. Heb. xi. 7, By faith Noah 
prepared an ark, and became heir of the RIGHTEOUSNESS which is by 
faith ; he escaped the deluge, and was made the instrument of re- 
peopling the world. ag ? 

8. It signifies an exact observance of religious ordinances, and pre- 
cepts. Phil. iii.6, Touching the R1GHTEOUSNESS which is of the law, 
blameless ; having lived in.an exact conformity to all the Mosaic pre- 
cepts. In this sense it is to be understood, Matt. iii. 15, Thus it becomes 
us to fuifil all RIGHTEOUSNESS ; to observe every precept of the la 

9. It signifies the favour or pardoning mercy of God. Rom. iv. 6, 
The blessedness of the man unto whom God imputeth RIGHTEOUSNESS 
without works, the man is happy to whom God has granted the re- 
“mission of sins, without respect to his observance of the law of Moses. 

10. In 2 Cor. v. 21, Sinasocuvn, righteousness, is put for dixzsoc, 
righteous ; that we might become the righteousness of God; that we 
might receive such a righteousness or holiness, such a salvation as is 
worthy of God’s grace to impart; and such as the necessities of 
mankind require. ak 

A few of the leading acceptations of the verb dixatow, which we 
translate to justify, may be here properly subjoined, as this verb is 
so repeatedly used in this epistle. ae eulbit: 

I. It-signifies to declare or pronounce one just or righteous ; or, in 
other words, to declare him to be what he reallyis. 1 Tim. iii. 16, 
He was susrirrep in the Spirit. By the almighty power of the 
Spirit, he was proved to be the TRUE MESSIAH. 

2. To esteema thing properly. Matt. xi. 19, Wisdom is sUSTIFIED 
of her children. Wisdom, propriety of conduct, is properly estimaten: 
by wise men. ; 


ROMANS.—CHAP. I. 77 


19 Because * that which may be known of God is mani- 
fest © in them ; for © God hath showed zt unto them. 


a Acts 14. 17.—» Or, to them —¢ John 1. 9. 


3. It signifies to approve, praise, and commend. The publicans 
zustiriep God, Luke vii. 29. praised him for calling them to such 
a state of salvation. Ib. xvi. 15, Ye are they which sustTiry¥ your- 
selves before God; ye are self-commended, self-applauded, and self- 
praised. In this sense it is often used in the Greek Apocryphal 
books. Ecclus. vii. 5, Justiry not thyself before the Lord; do not 
applaud thyself in the presence of thy Maker. Ib. x. 29, Who will 
JUSTIFY, (praise or applaud) him that sinneth against his own soul 2 
Ib. xviii. 2, The Lord. only is righteous, drzatabucerat, shall be sus- 
TIFIED, i. e. praised, because there is none other but he. : 

_A. The verb dizascyzs is used to clear from all sin. 1 Cor. iv. 4, 
For I know nothing by myself; yet am I not hereby sustierep. A 
man’s own consciousness of infegrity, is not a proof that he is clear 
from all sin in the sight of God. 

5, A judge is said to justify, not only when he condemns and pun- 
ashes, but also when he defends the cause of the innocent. See 
Eur. Beraclid. ver. 190. Taucyp. iii. p. 200. Pours. iii. 31. and 
SemLeusnEr on diezsa. Hence dizasveb2t, is taken in a forensic 
sense, and signifies to be found or declared righteous, innocent, &c. 
Matt. xii. 37, By thy words thou shalt be sustirrep; thou shalt be 
declared to be righteous. Rom. iii. 4, That thou mightest be susTI- 
FIED in thy sayings ; that thou mightest be proved to be true in what 
thou hast said, __ 

6. It signifies to set free, to eseapefrom. Acts xiii. 39, And by him, 
all that believe are JUSTIFIED from all things from which ye.could not 
be JUSTIFIED by the law ; by faith in Christ a man escapes those evils 
which, otherwise, the law of Moses would inflict upon him. Rom. 
vi. 7, For he that is dead, dedizasweas, is JUSTIFIED, properly ren- 

ere our translators, is FREED from sin. 

‘7. It signifies also to receive.one into favour, to pardon sin. Rom. 
viii. 30, Whom he called, them he also sustrF1ED ; he received them 
into favour, and pardoned their sins. Luke xvili. 14, This man went 
down to his house svstiF1Ep ; he humbled himself, repented of his 
iniquity, and God forgave his sin. Rom. iii.20, By the deeds of the law 
there shall no flesh be JUSTIFIED ; no soul can have his sins forgiven, 
through the observance of the Mosaic law. Ib. iv. 2, If Abraham 
were JUSTIFIED, (had his sin pardoned) by works. 1 Cor. vi. 11, 
Such were some of you, but ye are JUSTIFIED; ye are received into 
the divine favour, and have your sins forgiven. See James ii. 21— 
25. Rom. iii. 24, 28. v. 1, 9. Gal. ii. 16, 17.it% 11, 24. v. 4. Tit. 
iii. 7. In all these texts, the word justify is taken im the sense of re- 
mission of sins through faith in Christ Jesus; and does not mean 
making the person just or righteous, but treating him as if he were 
so, having already forgiven him his sins. 

The jugt shall live by faith] This has beeu understoud 4o ways: 


ne: ee ae 
78 ROMANS.—CHAP. I. a, 


20 For * the invisible things of him from the creation of 
the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things 


2 Psa. 19, 1, &e, Acts 14. 17. & 17, 27. 


1 That the just or righteous man cannot live a holy and useful life, 
without exercising continual faith in our Lord Jesus: which is 
strictly true: for He only, Who has brought him into that state of 
salvation, can preserve him in it: and he stands by faith, 2. lt is 
contended by some able critics that the words of the original text 
should be pointed thus: “O ds dimusoe ex wisems, Cuosrat. The just 
by faith shall live, that is, he alone that is justified by faith, shall be 
saved ; which is also true, as it is impossible to get salvation in any 
other way. This last meaning is probably t true on 4s the ori- 
ginal text in Hab. ii. 4. speaks of those who believed the declarations 
of God when the Chaldeans besieged Jerusalem ; and = oy eg 
conformably to them, they escaped with their lives. 

Verse 18. For the wrath of God is revealed] The apostle } eas now 
finished his preface, and comes ¢o the grand subject of the epistle; 
namely, to show the absolute need of the Gospel of Christ, because « of 

_ the universal corruption of mankind ; which was so great as to in- 
cense the justice of God, and call aloud for the punishment of the 
world. 1. He. shows that all the heathen nations were > utterly cor- 
rupt, and deserved this threatened punishment. And this is the 

' subject of the first chapter from verse 18 to the end. 2. He oe 

that the Jews, notwithstanding the greatness of their privilege 
were no better than the Gentiles; and therefore the wrath of 

‘was revealed against themalso. This subject he treats in chap 

and chap. iii. 1—19. 3. He returns, as it were, on both, chap: iii. 

20—31. and proves that as the Jews and Gentiles were equal; 

rupt, they could not be saved by the deeds of any law; | 
stood equally in need of that salvation which God had pro 

that both were equally entitled to that salvation, for God was * 

' God of the Gentiles as well as of the Jews. 

By copy» @ccu, the wrath of God, we are not to understand 

easy passion in the Divine Being; but the displeasure of re 

eousness, which is expressed by the punishments inflicted on'the un-— 
godly, those who retain not God in their knowledge; and the un- 
righteous, those whose lives are profligate. 1 qeulies 

As in the Gospel, the righteousness of God is revealed for the salva- 
tion of the ungodly ; so is the wrath of God revealed against the work- 
ers of iniquity. Those who refuse to be saved in the way revealed 
by his mercy, must be consumed in the way revealed by his justice. 

Ungodliness| AceCea, from a, negative, and osm or osComas, I 
worship, probably intended here to express Atheism, Polytheism, and 
édolatry of every kind. 

Unrighteousness| Adixia, from a, negative, and dixn, jae every 
paca contrary to strict morality ; all viciousness and profligacy of 
conduet. be 


ROMANS.—CHAP. I. ay. 7 


that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead ; so 
that they are without excuse : 
21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him 


a Or, that they may be. 


Who hold the truth in unrighteousness} In what sense could it be 
said that the heathen held the truth in unrighteousness, when they 
really had not that truth? Some think this refers to the conduct of 
their best philosophers, such as Socrates, Plaio, Seneca, &c. who 
knew much more of the divine nature than they thought safe or 
prudent to discover ; and who acted'in many things contrary to the 
light which they enjoyed. Others think this to be spoken of the 
Gentiles in general, who either did know, or might have known 
much of God from the works of creation, as the apostle intimates in 
the following verses. But Hosenmiiller, and some others, contend 
that the word zzrexev here does\ not signify to held, but to hinder ; 
and that the place should be translated, who through maliciousness 
hinder the truth; i. e. prevent it from taking hold of their hearts, 
and from governing their conduct. This is certainly a very usual 
acceptation of the verb xeveyerv, which Hesychius interprets xperey, 
xaonucty, Tuvexesv, to retain, hinder, &c. these men hindering, by their 
vicious conduct, the truth of God from being propagated in the earth. 

Verse 19. That which may be known of God] Dr. Taylor para- 
phrases this and the following verse thus: ‘* Although the Gentiles 
had no written revelation, yet what maybe known of God is every 
where manifest among them, God having made a clear discovery of 
himself to them. For his being and perfections, invisible to our 
bodily eyes, have been, ever since the creation of the world, evi- 
dently to be seen, if attentively considered, in the visible beauty, 
order, and operations observable in the constitution and parts of the 
universe ; especially his eternal power and universal dominion ‘ani 
providence ;. so that they cannot plead ignorance in excuse of their 
idolatry and wickedness.”’ 

Verse 20. The invisible things of him] His invisible perfections 
are manifested by his visible works, and may be apprehended by 
what he has made; their immensity showing his omnipotence ; their 
vast variety and contrivance, his omniscience ; and their adaptation, 
to the most beneficent purposes, his infinite goodness and philanihropy. 

His eternal power] Aidtos avrou duvapus, that all-powerful en- 
ergy that ever was, and ever will exist ; so, that ever since there was 
a creation to be surveyed, there have been intelligent beings to make 
that survey. 2 

And Godhead] Q¢toras, his acting as God in the government and 
support of the universe. His works prove his being ; the government 
atid support of these works prove it equally. Creation and provi- 
dence form a twofold demonstration of God, ist. In the perfections of 
his nature, and, 2dly. In the exercise of those perfections. 

Verse 21. Because that when they knew God] When they thus 


- a je ee 


80 ~ROMANS.—CHAP. I. 


not as God, neither were thankful; but * became vain in 

their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 
_22 ” Professing themselves to be wise they became fools, 
23 And changed the glory of the incorruptible «God into 


SSS! — eOoOoesesSs=*$“=—“$“$($“($—S—M00—0M0———————— 
=2 Kings 17. 15. Jer. 2. 5. Eph. 4. 17. 18.—b Jer. 10. 14.—e Deut. 4, 16, &c. Psa. 106. 
20. Isa. 40. 18. 26. Jer. 2. 11. Ezek, 8. 10. Acts 17. 29. A 


acquired a general knowledge of the unity and perfections of the 
divine nature ; they glorified him not as God; they did not proclaim 
him to the people, but shut up his glory, (as Bishop Warburton ex- 
presses it) in their mysteries, and gave the people, in exchange for 
an incorruptible God, an image made like to corruptible man. Where- 
fore God, in punishment for their sins, thus furning his truth into a 
tie, suffered even their mysteries which they had erected for a school 
of virtue, to degenerate into an odious sink of vice and immorality ; 
giving them up unto all uncleanness and.vile affections, i 

They glorified him not] They did not give him that worship which 
his perfections required. . , rey 

Neither were thankful]. They manifested no gratitude for the 
blessings they received from his providence; but became vain in 
their imaginations ; diarcyioposs, in their. reasonings, This cer- 
tainly refers to the foolish manner im which even the wisest of their 
philosophers discoursed about the divine nature, not excepting So- 
erates, Plato, or Seneca. Who can read their works without being 
struck with the vanity of their reasonings, as well as with the stu- 
pidity of their nonsense, when speaking about God? I might crowd 
my page with proofs of this; but it is not necessary to those who are 
acquainted with their writings ; and to others it would not be useful. 
In short, their foolish, darkened minds, sought God no where but.in 
the place in which he is never to be found; viz. the vile corrupted 
and corrupting passions of their own hearts. As they did not disco- 
ver him there, they scarcely sought him any where else. 

Verse 22. Professing themselves to be wise] This is most strikingly 
true of all the ancient philosophers, whether Greeks or Romans, as 
their works, which remain, sufficiently testify. Theword paexoyres, 
signifies not merely the professing, but the assumption, of the philo- 
sophic character. In this sense the word gacxewis Used by the best 
Greek writers. See Kypke. A dispassionate examination of the 
doctrine and lives of the most famed philosophers of antiquity, of 
every nation, will show that they were darkened in their mind, and. 
irregular in their conduct. It was from the Christian religion alone, 
that true philosophy and genuine philosophers sprung. _ 

Verse 23. 4nd changed the glory, &c.| The finest representa- 
tion of their deities was in the human figure; and on such repre- 

" sentative figures the sculptors spent all their skill; hence the Hzr~ 
cuLEs of Farnese, the Venus of Medicis, and the Apotio of Belvé- 
-dere. And when they had formed their gods according to the human 
shape, they endowed them with human passions; and as they 


k 


ROMANS—.CHAP. I. 81 


an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and 
four-footed beasts, and creeping things. _ 

24 * Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness 
through the lusts of their own hearts, > to dishonour their 
own bodies © between themselves : 

25 Who changed ‘the truth of God © into a lie, and 
worshipped and served the creature ‘ more than the Cre- 
ator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. 

26 For this cause God gave them up unto & vile affec- 
tions : for even their women did change the natural use into . 
that which is against nature : 


a Psa, 81. 12. Wisd. 12.23. Acts 7. 42. Eph. 4. 18, 19. 2 Thess. 2. 11.12—bd1 
Cor. 6. 18. 1 Thess. 4. 4. 1 Pet. 4, 3.—c Lev. 18. 22.—4 1 Thess. 1. 9. 1 John 5. 20.— 
“Slsai. 44. 20. Jer. 10. 14. & 13. 25. Amos 2. 4.—f Or, rather.—g Lev. 18. 22, 23. 
Eph. 5. 12. Jude 10. 


clothed them with attributes of extraordinary strength, beauty, wis- 
dom, &c. not having the true principles of morality, they represented 
them as slaves to the most disorderly and disgraceful passions; ex- 
celling in irregularities the most profligate of men, as possessing un- 
limited powers of sensual gratification. 

_ And to birds} As the eagle of Jupiter among the Romans, and 
the ibis and hawk among the Egyptians; which were all sacred 
animals, ‘ 

Four-footed beasts} As the apis, or while or among the Egyp- 
tians; from which the idolatrous Israelites took their golden calf. 
The goat, the monkey, and the dog, were also sacred animals among 
the same people. 5 
\ Creeping things] Such as the crocodile and scarabeus, or beet!: 
among the Ezyptians. ; ; : 

Verse 24. God gave them up, &c.} They had filled up the me- - 
sure of their iniquities ; and God, by permitting them to plunge int< 
all manner of irregularities, thus, by one spécies’of sin, inflicted pun- 
ishment on another. s ; 

Dishonour their own bodies] Probably alluding here to what is 
more openly expressed verses 26 and 27. 

Between themselves] "Ev taurois, of themselves, of their own free 
aecord ; none inciting, none impelling. 

Verse 25. Changed the truth of God, inio a lie] In the place of 
the true worship of God, they established idolatry. In various pla- 
. ces of Scripture, idols are termed Hes. Isai. xliv. 20. Jer. iii. 23. and 
xii. 25, The true God was kuown among the primitive inhabitants 
of the earth; those who first became idolaters, literally changed the 
truth of God into a lie; they did know the true God, but they put 
idols in his place. ’ 

Verse 26. For this cause God gave them up, &c.] Their system 
of idolatry necessarily produced all.kinds of impurity. How could 


bo BP a al . 3 ror P 


82 ROMANS.—CHAP. 1. 


27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of 
the woman, burned in their lust one towards another; men 
with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving 
in themselves that recompense of their error which was 
meet. ; 

28 @ And even as they did not like? to retain God in their 
knowledge, God gave them over to © a reprobate mind, to 
do those things 4 which are not convenient ; ty 
29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wick- 


- & Wisd. 14. 22. 23, &c.—b Or, to ackaae ine Or, a mind void of judgment.— 
ph. 5. 4. 


it be otherwise, when the highest objects of their worship were 
adulterers, fornicators, and prostitutes of the most infamous kind ; 
such as Jupiter, Apollo, Mars, Venus, &c. Of the abominable evils 
with which the apostle charges the Gentiles in this and the following 
verse, I could produce a multitude of proofs from their own writings ; 
pee it is needless to make the subject plainer than the apostle has 
eft it. . ‘ 

Verse 27. Receiving in themselves that recompense, &c,| Both the 
women and men, by their unnatural prostitutious, enervated their 
bodies, so that barrenness prevailed; and those disorders which are 
necessarily attendant on prostitution, and sodomitical practices. 

Verse 28. They did not like to retain God] 1t would, perhaps, be 
more literal to translate ovx edoxseacay, THEY DID NOT SEARCH #0 
retain God in their knowledge. They did not examine the evidences 
before them (ver. 19. and 20.) of his being and attributes; therefore 
God gave them over to 4REPROBATE mind, tts ad oxtpeoy your, to. ap UN- 
SEARCHING, or undiscerning mind; for it is the same word in both 
places. They did not reflect on the proofs they had of the divine 
nature, and God abandoned them to the operations of a mind inca- 
pable of reflection. How men of such powers and learning, as many 
of the Greek and Roman philosophers and poets really were, could 
reason so inconsecutively concerning things moral and divine, is 
truly astonishing. But here we see the hand of a juet and avenging 
God; they abused their powers, and God deprived them of the right 
use of these powers. 3 

Verse 29. Being filled with all unrighteousness) Adina, every 
vice contrary to justice and righteousness. nits «- 

Fornication] Tcgvete, all commerce between the sexes out of 
the bounds of lawful marriage. Some of the best MSS. omit this 
reading ; and others have ax2Qeecre, uncleanness. 

Wickedness| Tevagez, malignity, that which is oppressive to its 
possessor, and to its object; from zovec, labour, toil, &e. gt. 

Covetousness| Tasovefsz, from xaeiov, more, and ef, J well have, 
the intense love or lust of gain; the determination to be rich; the 
principle of a dissatisfied and discontented sonl. ; 


ROMANS—CHAP. I. 83 


edness, covetousness, maliciousness ; full of envy, mur- 
der, debate, deceit, malignity ; whisperers, 


Maliciousness] Kaxta, malice, ill-will, what is radically and es- 
sentially vicious. 

Full of envy| _®ovoc, from 28:vm, to wither, decay, consume, pine 
away, &c. * pain felt, and malignity conceived at the sight of excel- 
lence or happiness in another.” A fine personification of this vice is 
found in Ovip Meram. lib. ii. ver. 768—781. which I shall here in< 
sert, with Mr. Addison’s elegant and nervous translation. 

oe Videt intus edentem 
Vipereas carnes, vitiorum alimenta suorum, 

-TInyidiam : visaque oculos avertit. At illa 

_ Surgit humo pigra : semesarumque relinquit 
Corpora Serpentum, passuque incedit inerti 
Utque deam'vidit formaque armisque decoram. 
Ingemuit: vultumque ima ad suspiria duxit. 

- Pallor in ore sedet : macies in corpore toto; 

» Nusquam recta acies : livent rubigine dentes : 
Pectora felle virent; lingua est suffusa veneno. 
Risus abest, nisi quem visi movére dolores : 
Nec fruitur somno, vigilacibus excita curis : 
Sed videt ingratos, intabescitque videndo 
Successus hominum ; carpitque et carpitur und 
Suppliciumque suum est. 


A poisonous morsel in her teeth she chewed, 

And gorg’d the flesh of vipers for her food. 
Minerva, loathing, turn’d away her eye, 

The hideous monster, rising heavily, 

Came stalking forward with a sullen pace, 

And left her mangled offals on the place. 

Soon as she saw the goddess gay and bright, 

She fetched a groan at such a cheerful sight: 
Livid and meagre were her looks, her eye 

In foul distorted glances turned awry : 

A hoard of gall her inward parts possess’d, 

And spread a greenness o’er her canker’d breast ; 
Her teeth were brown with rust, and from her tongue, 
In dangling drops the stringy poison hung. 

She never smiles, but when the wretched weep ; 
Nor lulls her malice with a moment’s sleep ; 
Restless in spite: while watchful to destroy, 

She pines and sickens at auother’s joy : 

Foe to herself, distressing and distressed, 

She bears her own tormentor in her breast. 


Murder) ovoc, taking away the life of another by any means; 
mortal hatred: for he that hates his brother in his heart is a mur- 
derer. f 

Debate| Epis, contention, discord, &c. Of this vile passion, the 
Greeks made a goddess. ’ 


. 


But adh i 1 ali dd 
84 ROMANS.—CHAP. > 


30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, 
inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, » 

31 Without understanding, covenant-breakers, * without 
natural affection, implacable, unmerciful : 


a Or, unsociable. ; 


ooooooooeoeoewyqeyqe<ququon“aeaeaeaeaeaeaaaaaaaeaeaeSS 0 — = 

Deceit] Acros, lying, falsity, prevariealion, imposition, &c. from 
deaw, to take with a bait. 

Malignity] KaxonOesa, from xxxoc, evil, and nba, @ custom, bad 
customs founded in corrupt sentiment, producing evil habits, sup- 
ported by general usage. It is generally interpreted a malignity of 
mind, which leads its possessor to put the worst construction on 
every action; ascribing to the best deeds the worst motives. 

Whisperers| ¥10ueisas, secret detractors ; those who, under pre- 
tended secrecy, carry about accusations against their neighbours, 
whether true or false : blasting their reputation by clandestine tittle 
tattle. This word should be joined to the succeeding verse. 

Verse 30. Backbiters] Karaacacus, from xara, against, and 
aeaso, I speak ; those who speak against others : false accusers, slan- 
derers. 

Haters of God] @cosuysts, atheists, contemners of sacred things ; 
maligners of providence : scorners, &c. All profligate Deists are of 
this class; and it seems to be the finishing part of a diabolic cha~ 
racter. 

Despiteful] T€eisas, from veg:w, to treat with injurious inso- 
lence: stormy, boisterous; abusing both the characters and persons 
of those over whom they can have apy power. 

Proud] Yrenpavous, from umeg, above, or over: and gatyw, I 
show, or shine. They who are continually exalting themselves and 
depressing others: magnifying themselves at the expense of their 
neighbours : and wishing all men to receive their sayings as oracles. 

Boasters] Anatavas, from aafouer, lo erumes ; self-assuming, 
vain-glorious, and arrogant men, 

Inventors of evil things] Eeevgeras xaKoy. Those who have in- 
vented destructive customs, rites, fashions, &c. ‘such as the different 
religious ceremonies among ‘the Gredtis and Romanus—t 
Ba schus, the mysteries of Ceres, the lupercalia, feasts | 
Dea, &c. &c. Multitudes of ‘which evil things, destrt 
abominable ceremonies, are to be found in exer parto th 
worship. 

Disobedient to parents] Though filial affection was certainly more 
recommended and cultivated than many other virtues; yet there 
are many instances on record of the grossest violation of this great 
branch of the law of nature. 

Verse 31. Without understanding | Acuyeqpues 3 from a, negative, 
and cuveros, knowing, persons incapable of comprehending what was 
spoken : destitute of capacity for spiritual things. 

Covenant-breakers|] Acuyberous, from a, negative, and riarniein 


ROMANS.—CHAP. I. 85 


32 Who, # knowing the judgment of God, that they which 
commit such things © are worthy of death, not only do the 
same, but © have “ pleasure in them that do them. 


aCh. 2.2.—bCh. 6. 21.—c Or, consent with them.—4 Hos. 7.3. Psa. 50. 18. 


to make an agreement. Persons who could be bound by no oath, 
because, properly speaking, they had no God to witness or avenge 
their misconduct. As every covenant, or agreement, is made as in 
the presence of God: so he that opposes the being and doctrine of 
God, is incapable of being bound by any covenant; he can give no 
pledge for his conduct. 

+ Without natural affection) Asogyovs; without that attachment 
‘which nature teaches the young of all animals to have to their mo- 
thers; and the mothers to have for their young. The heathens, in 
general, have made no scruple to expose the children they did not 
think proper to bring up ; and to despatch their parents, when they 
were grown old or past labour. 

Implacable] Acmovdovs, from a, negative; and oroydy, A LIBA- 
Trion. It was customary among all nations to pour out wine as a 
libation to their gods, when making a treaty. This was done to ap- 
pease the angry gods, and reconcile them to the contracting parties. 
The word here shows a deadly enmity ; the highest pitch of an unfor- 
giving spirit: ina word, persons who would not make reconciliation 
either to God or man. ; 

Unmerciful] Aveasnpovas-: those who were incapable, through 
the deep-rooted wickedness of their own nature, of showing mercy 
to an enemy, when brought under their power; or doing any thing 
for the necessitous, from the principle of benevolence or commiseration. 

Verse 32. Who, knowing/the judgment of God] Atxa:oua, the 
grand rule of right, whick God has revealed to every man—the 
knowledge of which he has, lessor more, given to every nation of 
the world, relative to bonouring parents; taking care of their own 
offspring ; keeping their engagements, &c. &c. In the worst states 
of heathenism, ‘this great principle has been acknowledged; but 

‘through the preyalénce of corruption in the heart, this law, though 
acknowledged, was not obeyed ; and the corruption increased so, that 
those were highest in repute who had cast off all restraints of this 
kind ; so that they even delighted in them; cuvevdoxeucs, highly ap- 
plauded, and gladly associated with those transgressors ; which argues 
the very highest pitch of moral depravity. 


1. The preceding chapter gives us one of the finest views of the 
Gospel of Christ, to be met with any where. It is God’s method of | 
saving a lost world; in a way in which that world could never have 
imagined : there is nothing human in it; itis all truly and gloriously 
divine: essentially necessary to the salvation of man ; and fully ade- 
quate to the purposes of its institution. Though it is an extension of 
the Old Covenant, yet it is almost wholly dissimilar; being as diffe- 
rent from that as the person is from the picture by which he is repre- 

8 


“Fey a >)  —_—_—— ee.” 


86 ROMANS.—CHAP. I. 


sented, and as the substance is ffom the shadow projected by it. It 
is a scheme as worthy of God, as it is necessary for man; hence 
there are no excluding clauses in it—it is for the Jew and for the 
Greek; for the wise and for the unwise; for all the nations of the 
universe ; and for all the individuals of those nations. ’ 

2. As God never does any thing that is not fitting, suitable, and 
necessary to be done, he has not made an unnecessary display of his 
mercy and goodness in the incarnation and death of his Son—all this 
was necessary, else it had not been done. But how does the neces- 
sity appear?—In the deep rooted and widely extended corruption 
and profligacy of the nations of the earth. Of these the apostle gives 
a most affecting and distressing picture. 1. Almost every trace of 
original righteousness had been obliterated. 2. The proofs of God’s 
eternal power and providence, so manifest in the creation and pre- 
servation of the universe, were wholly disregarded. 3. A vain phi- 
losophy, without right, principle, or end, was substituted for those 
divine truths which had been discovered originally to man.’ 4. Their 
hearts were contaminated with every vice which could blind the un- 
derstanding, pervert the judgment, corrupt the will, aud debase the 
affections and passions. 5, This was proved ip the most unequivocal 
manner, by a profligacy of conduct which had debased them far, far 
below the beasts that perish; and the apostle here gives a list of 
their crimes, every article of which can be incontroyertibly proved, 
from their own history, and their own writers: crimes which, even 
bad as the world is now, would shock common decency to describe. 
See the whole of the second, third, sixth, and ninth satires of 
Juvenal. 

3. So completely lost were the heathens to a knowledge of the in- 
fluence of God on the soul, and the necessity of that influence; that 
they asserted in the most positive manner, that man was the author 
of his own virtue and wisdom. Cicero, Nat. Deor. lib. iii. c. 36. 
declares it a general opinion that, although mankind received from 
the gods the outward conveniences of life—virtutem autem nemo 
unquam acceptam Deo retulit—‘‘but virtue none ever thought they 
received from the Deity.’? And again, ‘‘this is the persuasion of 
all, that fortune is to be had from the gods: wisdom from ourselves.’’ 

And again who ever thanked the gods for his being a good man? 
Men pray to Jupiter, not that he would make them just, temperate, 
and wise : but rich and prosperous.”’ 

JUVENAL, on this point, speaks thus :— 


Monstro quod ipse sibi possis dare : Semita certe 
Tranquillz per virtutem patet unica vite. 
Sat. x. v. 363, 


The path to peace is virtue: which I show, 
Thyself may fully on thyself bestow. 


In the samestrain, Horace, Erisv. lib. i. E. Xviil. v. penult. 


Hee satis est orare Jovem, qui donat et aufert; 
Det vitam, det opes; zquum mi animum ipse parabo. 


i = —_ sa, 
ROMANS.—CHAP. I, 87 


To Jove for lifeand wealth I pray ; 
These Jove may give or take away ; 
Bot fora firm and tranquil mind, 
That blessing for myself I find. 

Thus, ‘‘ they became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish 
heart was darkened; and professing themselves to be wise, they be- 
came fools? See Madan’s Juvenal, Vol. ii- p. 53. 

4. By all this we see what the world was, and what it would have 
continued to be, had not God sent a Divine revelation of his will; 
and established a public ministry to proclaim and enforce it. Were 
man left to the power and influence of his fallen nature, he would 
be in all places of his dispersion-on the earth, what the apostle 
describes in the 29th, 30th, and 31st verses of this chapter. 

Reader, magnify God, who has called thee from such deep dark- 
ness, to the marvellous light of the glorious Gospel of his Son; and 
walk asa child of the light and of the day, in whom there shall be 
no cause of stumbling. 


| pe SS 


CHAPTER II. 


he apostle shows that the Jew who condemns the Gentiles, and considers 
them utterly unworthy of the blessings of the Gospel, is inexcusable, be- 
cause he is guilty of the same crimes ; and therefore shall not escape the 
righteous judgment of God, 1—3. It is an awful thing to despise the 
goodness and long-suffering of God, which lead to repentance, 4, 5, Ged, 
the impartial. judze, will render to.every man according to his works, 6 
—il. The Jews and the Gentiles will be judged according to their respec- 
tive advantages and disadvantages, 12, 13. In some cases, the Gentiles 
who had no law, have shown a better disposition than the Jews, 14—16. 
The Jews, by their unfaithfulness, have been a stumbling-block to the Gen- 
tiles, 17—24. Jewish rites and ceremonies of no advantage, unless pro- 
ductive of change of heart and conduct, 25. The Gentiles who attend to 
the small light which they have received from God, are in a better state 
than the unfaithful Jews, with all their superior religious privileges, 26, 
27. What constitutes a real Jew in the sight of God, 28, 29. 


HEREFORE thou art 2 inexcusable, O man, whoso- 
ever thou art that judgest, >for wherein thou judgest 


another, thou condemnest thyself: for thou that judgest 
doest the same things. 


2Ch. 1. 20.—b2 Sam. 12.5, 6,7. Matt. 7.1,2. John8. 9. 


NOTES ON CHAPTER Ii. 

- Dr. Taylor makes the following sensible observations at the com- 
mencement of this chapter. 

_- “The representation of the moral state of the heathen world, in 
the foregoing chapter, is a demonstration of the necessity of the Gos- 
pel, for the reformation and salvation of man. And how rich is the 
favour wherewith God has visited the world! 'To have destroyed a 
race of apostate rebels, who had abused their understandings and 
every gift of a bountiful Creator, would have been justice ; to have 


—- * =e. 


38 ROMANS.—CHAP. It. 


2 But we are sure that the judgment of God is according 
to truth against them which commit such things. 


spared them would have been dentty and goodness: but to send his 
only begotten Son from heaven to redeem us from all iniquity and 
ungodliness by his own blood; to grant us a free pardon for all our 
sins; to put us in a state of mercy and salvation; to take us into his 
kingdom and family ; to give us an inheritance among his saints ; to 
bless us with immortality, and all spiritual blessings in heavenly 
places, this is most wonderful and exuberant fayour. Rightly is the 
doctrine which teaches it called the Gospel, or glad tidings; one 
would think, it could not possibly have met with opposition from any 
part of mankind. But the Jew opposed it! He abhorred the Gen- 
tile; and contradicted the grace that honoured and sayed him. 
The apostle pleads and defends our cause. His business is to con- 
found the Jew, and to prove that we have as good a right as he, to 
all the blessings of the Messiah’s kingdom. And by his description 
of the vicious state of the Gentiles in the former chapter: he has 
wisely made his advantage of the prejudices of the Jew: for nothing 
could please him more than the preceding discourse, in which the 
Gentiles are reduced to so vile and abject a state. Thus the apostle 
gives him an opportunity to condemn the Gentiles: but he does this 
that he may more effectually humble him in this chapter; in which 
he proves, that the Jews, having, in an aggravated manner, despised 
the goodness, and broken the law of God, were as obnoxious to his 
wrath asthe Gentiles; and if so, how could they, with any conscience 
or modesty, arrogate all the Divine mercy to themselves ; or pretend 
that others were unworthy of it, when they had done as much or 
more to forfeit it? Must they not exclude themselves from being the 
people of God under the Gospel, by the same reason that they would 
have the Gentiles excluded? But this was an argument highly un- 
grateful to the Jew ; and it would be very difficult to fix any convic- 
tion upon his mind. _ Therefore the apostle addresses him in a covert 
way, Thou art therefore inexcusable, O man! whosoever thou art that 
judgest ; not giving out expressly that he meant the Jew, that the 
Jew might more calmly attend to his reasoning, while he was not 
apprehensive that he was the man. This point secured, the apostle 
very judiciously, and with great force of reasoning, turns his thoughts 
from his present superior advantages, to the awful day of judgment, 
ver. 5,6. when God in the most impartial equity, will render to all 
mankind, without exception, according to their works. Thus the 
apostle grounds his following argument, very methodically, and 
solidly, in God’s equa! regards to all men, in all nations, who up- 
rightly practice truth and godliness; and his disapproving, and at 
last condemning all men, in any nation, however privileged, who 
live wickedly. This was a blow at the root: and demolished in the 
most effectual manner, the Jew’s prejudices in favour of his own 
nation, and the unkind thoughts he had entertained of the Gentiles. 
For, if a Jew could be convinced that a sober, upright heathen, 


2 ~~ ROMANS.—CHAP. 11. 39 


3 And thinkest thou this, O man that judgest them which 
do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape 
the judgment of God? 

4 Or despisest thou * the riches of his goodness and ° for- 
bearance and © long-suffering: 4 not knowing that the good- 
ness of God leadeth thee to repentance ? 

5 But after thy hardness and impenitent heart © treasu- 
rest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and re- 
velation of the righteous judgment of God ; 


aCh. 9. 23. Eph. 1. 7. & 2. 4. 7—» Ch. 3. 25.—c Exod. 34. 6.—d Isai. 30. 18. 
; 2 Pet. 3, 9. 15.—e Deut. 32. 34, James 5. 3. 
=-::2”770606—090—=—@$S0—@—$@@$—q@60O0™0~$m0SSS 
might be blessed with eternal salvation; he must be persuaded that 
it was no absurd matter that believing Gentiles should now be par- 
doned and taken into the visible chutch.—Thus the apostle advances 
with great skill ; insinuating himself by degrees, into the Jew’s con- 
science. This reasoning is well adapted to encourage the Gentiles 
humbled by the dismal representation in the preceding chapter; for 
he would here see that he was not utterly abandoned of God, but 
might, upon good grounds, hope for his mercy and kindness.”’ } 


‘Verse 1. Who judgest] ‘O xpivov, the judger; thou who assumes? 
the character of a judge; and in that character, condemnest others 
who are less guilty than thyself. 

Verse 2. We are sure that the judgment of God, &c.| God is im- 
partial, and will punish sin wheresoever he finds it. Transgression 
in a Jew, is not less criminal than iniquity in a Gentile. 

Verse 4. Or despiseth thou the riches of his goodness] Wilt thou 
render of none effect that marked benevolence of God towards thee, 
which has given so many superior advantages ; and that forbearance 
which has tolerated thy many miscarriages ; and that long suffering, 
which, after repeated provocations, still continues to bear with thee? 

Not knowing] Ayvowy, not acknowledging, that this goodness of 
God which has so long manifested itself in forbearance and long suf- 
fering, leadeth thee to repentance; was designed to accomplish this 
blessed end; which thy want of consideration and acknowledgment 
has rendered, hitherto, ineffectual. This was a maxim among the 
Jews themselves; for, in Synopsis Sohdr, it is said, the holy blessed 
God delays his anger against the wicked, to the end that they may 
repent and be converted. ay ; : 

Verse 5. But after thy hardness] Occasioned by thy long course 
of iniquity. And inpenitent heart produced by thy hardness, through 
which thou art callous to the cals and expostulations of conscience. 
Treasurest up ; continuest to increase thy debt to the Divine justice, 
which will infallibly inflict wrath ; punishment, in the day of wrath é 
the judgment-day, in which he will render to every mao according 
to his works. The word éreasure, the Hebrew uses to express any 

gx 


ee ee ee 


90 ROMANS.—CHAP. I. 


6 2 Who will render to every man according to his deeds : 
7 To them, who by patient continuance in well doing 
seek for glory and honour and immortality ; eternal life : 
8 But unto them that are contentious, and > do not obey 
the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, 
9 Tribulation and anguish upon every soul of man that 
doeth evil, of the Jew “ first, and also of the 4 Gentile ; - 


a Job 34. 11. Psa. 62. 12. Prov. 24. 12. Jer. 17. 10. & 32.19. Matt. 16. 27. Ch. 14. 
12. 1 Cor. 3. 8. 2Cor. 5. 10. Rev. 2. 23. & 20. 12. & 22. 12.—b Job 24, 13. Ch. 1. 18. 
2 Thess. 1. 3.—c Amos 3. 2. Luke 12. 47, 48. 1 Pet. 4. 17.—dGr. Greek. 


kind of store, or collection:—Treasure, or plenty of rain. Deut. 
xxviil. 12, “ The Lord shall open unto thee his good TREASURE, to 
give the rain unto thy land..—Treasure of punishment. Deut. 
Xxxii. 34, 35, ‘Is not this sealed up among my TREASURES? To me 
belongeth VENGEANCE and RECOMPENSE.”’—Treasures of mines, 
i.e. abundance of minerals. Deut. xxxiii. 19, “ They shall seek of 
the ABUNDANCE of the seas, and of TREASURES /id in the sand.” So 
treasures of gold, silver, corn, wine, oil, &c. mean collections, or an 
abundance of such things; the word is used by the Greek writers 
precisely inthesamesense. By wrath we are to understand punish- 
ment, as in chap. i. 18. and is used so by the very best phages writers. 
See Kypke. : 

The treasure of wrath, in this verse, is opposed to the lies of 
goodness, in the preceding. As surely as thou despisest, or neglectest 
to improve the “RicHEs of God’s GoopnEss,”? so surely thou shalt 
share in the TREASURES of his wRATH. The prnignye shall be 
proportioned to the mercy thou hast abused. 

Verse 6. Who will render] Who, in the day of jodgment, will 
reward and punish every man according as his life and conversation 
have been. 

Verse 7. To them, &c.) In this manner will God, in the great 
day, dispense punishments and rewards: 1. He will give eternal life 
to them, who, ip all the trials and difficulties of the present state, 
have persevered in well doing; seeking for, and expecting glory, 
honour, and imniorfality. 

Verse 8.. But unto them, &c.] 2. He will manifest his indigna- 
tion and inflict wrath, punishment, on all who are contentious, who 
obstinately dispute against the truth, and obey wnrighteousness ; who 
act under the influence of the principle of sin, and not under the in- 
fluence of the Spirit of God. 

Verse 9. Tribulation and anguish] Misery of all descriptions, 
without the possibility of escape, will this righteous Judge inflict 
upon every impenitent sinner. The Jew first, as possessing greater 
privileges; and having abused greater mercies: and also on the Gen- 
tile, who, though he had not the same advantages, had what God 
saw was autibieat for his state; and having sinned against them, 
shall haye punishment proportioned to his demerit. 


ROMANS.—CHAP. 1. of 


10 * But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that 
worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the > Gentile : 

11 For © there is no respect of persons with God. 

12 For as many as have sinned without law, shall also 
perish without law : and as many as have sinned in the 
law, shall be judged by the law ; 


a1 Pet. 1. 7.—b> Gr’ Greek.—c Deut. 10. 17. 2 Chron. 19.7. Job 34.19. Acts 10, 
34. Gal. 2.6. Eph.6.9. Col. 3.25. 1 Pet. 1. 17. 


Verse 10. But glory, honour,and peace] While the finally im- 
penitent Jew and Gentile shall experience the fullest effects of the 
righteous indignation of the Supreme Judge ; every man that work- 
eth good, that lives in a conscientious obedience to the known will of 
God, whether he be Jew or Gentile, shall have glory, honour, and 
peace ; i. e. eternal blessedness. 

Verse 11. For there is no respect of persons with God.| The 
righteous Judge will not act according to any principle of par- 
tiality ; the character and conduct alone, of the persons, shall weigh 
with him. | He will take no wicked man to glory, let his nation or 
advantages be what they may: and he will send no righteous man 
to perdition, though brought up in the very bosom of Gentilism. 
And as he will judge in that day, according to character and con- 
“duct ; so his judgment will proceed on the ground of the graces, 
privileges, and blessings, which they had received, improved, or 
abused. And, as there is no respect of persons with God in judg- 
ment; so there can be none in the previous administration of his 
saving blessings: he that will be condemned. for his unrighteousness, 
will be condemned on the ground that he had sufficient grace afford- _ 
ed him for the salvation of his soul: and his condemnation will rest 
on the simple principle, that he abused the grace which was suffi- 
cient to save him; by acting in opposition to its dictates and influ- 
ence. No man, in that great day, shall; be brought to heaven 
through any partiality of the Judge: and no man sent to hell, be- 
cause God did not afford him sufficient grace ; or because he had 
made a decree, which rendered even his ase of it, ineffectual to his 
salvation. In reference to the great design of God, in the salvation 
of man, it shall be said, in time, at the day of judgment, and through- 
out eternity, THERE IS NO RESPECT OF PERSONS WITH GOD. 

Verse 12. For as many as have sinned without law, &c.| ‘They, 
viz. the Gentiles, who shall be found to have transgressed against 
the mere light of nature; or rather, “ that true light that lighteth . 
every man that cometh into the world,’’ John i. ver. 9. shall not come 
under the same rule with those, the Jews, who have, in addition to 
this, enjoyed an extraordinary revelation; but they shali be dealt 
with according to the inferior dispensation under which they lived: 
whilst those, the Jews, who have sinned against the law, the positive 
divine revelation granted to them, shall be judged by that law: and 
el proportionably to the abuse’ of such an extraordinary ad- * 
vantage, 


ya er. > 


92 ROMANS. —CHAP, Il. 


13 (For * not the hearers of the law are just before God, 
but the doers of the law shall be justified. _ 

14 For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by 
nature the things contained in the law, these hae the 
law, are a law unto themselves : 

15 Which show the work of the law written in their 
hearts, > their conscience also bearing witness, and their 
thoughts, ° the meanwhile, accusing or else excusing oné 
another ;) 


a Matt. 7.21. James 1. 22, 23,25. 1 John 3.7.—b Or, the conscience witnessing 
with them.—e Or, between themselves. 


Verse 13. For not the hearers of the law, &c.| It does not follow 
that because one people are favoured with a divine revelation, that 
therefore they shall be saved: while the others, who have not had 
that revelation, shall finally perish: this is not God’s procedure ; 
where he has given a law, a divine revelation, he requires obedience 
to that law; and only those who have been doers of that law, who 
have lived accordiny to the light and privileges granted in that reve- 
lation, shall be justified : shall be finally acknowledged to be such as 
are fit for the kingdom of God. 

Verse 14. For when the Gentiles which have not the law, &c.} 
Nor does it follow that the Gentiles who ‘have not had a divine reve- 
lation, shall either perish, because they had it not; or their unright- 
eous conduct pass unpunished ; because, not having this revelation, 
might be considered an excuse ‘for their sins: — 

De by nature the things contained in the law] Do without. this 
divine revelation, through that light which God imparts to every 
man, the things contained in the law, act according ‘to justice, mercy, 
temperance, and truth, the practice of which the revealed law so 
powerfully enjoins ; there are a law unto themselves, they are not ac- 
countable to any other law; and are not to be judged by any dispen- 
sation different from that under which they live. 

. Rabbi Tanchum brings in the Supreme Being as saying—When I 
have decreed any thing against the Gentiles, to whom I have not 
given laws and statutes, and they know what I have decreed, imme- 
diately they repent; but the Israelites do not so, ‘Tanchum. fol. 


Verse 15. Which show the work of the law] In acting according 
to justice, mercy, temperance, and truth; they show that the ereat 
object of the law, which was to bring men from injastice, cruelty, 
intemperance, and falsity, is accomplished so far in them: their con- 
science also bearing witness: that faculty of the soul, where that 
divine light dwells and works, shows them that they are right; and 

thus they have a comfortable testimony in their own souls, of their 
own integrity: their thoughts, the meanwhile, accusing or else ex= 
cusing one another ; or, rather, their reasonings between one another, 
accusing or answering for themselves; as if the apostle had said— 


* 


ROMANS.—CHAP. II. 93 


16 * In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men 
> by Jesus Christ, * according to my Gospel. 


= Eccles. 12 14. Matt. 25. 31. John 12. 48. Ch. 3.6. 1 Cor. 4. 5. Rev. 20. 12.—b John 
pe = 10. 42. & 17.31. 2 Tim. 4. 1.8. 1 Pet. 4. 5.—c Ch. 16. 25. 1 Tim. 1. 11. 
im. 2. 8. 


—————— 
And this point, that they have a law, and act according to it, is fur- 
ther proved from their conduct in civil affairs; and from that correct 
sense which they have of natural justice in their debates, either in 
their courts of law, or in their treatises on morality. All these are 
ample proofs that God has not left them without light: and that, 
seeing they have such correct notions of right and wrong, they are 
aecountable to God for their conduct, in reference to these notions 
and principles. This seems to be the true meaning of this difficult 
clause. See below. F : 

Verse 16. In the day when God shall judge] And all this shall be 
farther exemplified and proved in the day that God shall judge the 
secrets of men by Jesus Christ ; which judgment shall be according 
to my Gospel ; according to what I am now laying down before you, 
relative to the impartiality of God, and his righteous procedure in 
judging men, not according to their opinions or prejudices ; not ac- 
cording to revelations which they never possessed; but according 
to the various advantages or disadvantages of their political, reli- 
gious, or domestic situation in life. 

Much stress has been laid on the word guc:, by nature, in ver. 14. 
as if the apostle designed to intimate that nature, independently of 
the influence of diyine grace, possessed such principles as were suffi- 
cient to guide a man to glory. But certainly the term cannot be so 
understood here. J rather think that the sense given to it in 
Suicer’s Thesaurus, Vol. Il. col. 1475. reipsd, reverd, CERTAINLY, 
TRULY, is its sense here: for when the Gentiles, which have not the 
law, Quoet woln, TRULY, or in effect, po the things contained in the 
law, &c. This seems to be its sense in Galat. iv. 8. When ye knew 
not God, ye did service to them which 9uzé1) CERTAINLY are no gods ; 
i. e. are false gods. Suicer quotes Cyril of Alexandria, (sub Ana- 
thematismo iii. in Actis Ephesinis, p. 212.) speaking of the union of 
the two natures in Christ, he calls this union gvasxny, natural; that 
is, says he, eanQu, true, or reals He adds, that the word should be 
thus understood in Ephes. ii. 3. we were by nature, guest, children of 
wrath; andsaysgucet, ayrs tov, arAnOwe. duces, is here used for 
aaunOos, TRULY, We were TRULY, INCONTESTABLY, the children 
of wrath, even as others. That is, like the rest of mankind, we have 
all sinned, and come short of the glory of God;* and consequently 
are exposed to punishment. Some think that this text refers to the 
natural corruption of man; but although it is true that man comes 
into the world corrupt, and that all men since the fall are very far 
gone from original righteousness, yet it is not clear that the text in 
Eph. ii, 3. speaks of any other thing than the effects of this degene- 
racy. See the note there. 


. Queer oo eee 
94 ROMANS.—CHAP. Il. 


17 Behold * thou art called a Jew, and  restest in the — 
law, © and makest thy boast of God, 
, tis 
a Matt. 3.9. John 8. 33. Ch. 9.6, 7, 2 Cor. 11, 22—b Mic. 3. 11. Ch. 9. 4.— 
¢ Isa, 45, 95. & 48.2. John 8. 41, 


¥. 


I prefer this sense, in the passage in question, to that which says 
the hght of nature, or natural instinct, is here meant: for I know of 
no light in nature that is not kindled there by the grace of God. 
Bat I have no objection to this sense, “* When the Gentiles, which 
have not the law, do, by the influence of God upon their hearts, the 
things contained in the law, they are a law unto themselves; that 
light and influence serving instead of a divine revelation.” That 
the Gentiles did really do the things contained im the law, in refer- 
ence to what is termed natural justice : and made the wisest distinc- 
tions relative to the great principles of the doctrine of civil rights 
and wrongs; every man conversant with their writings will admit. 
And in reference to this, the word gues, may be legitimately 
a a thus—they incontestably did the things contained in the 

aw, &c. 

The passage in ver. 15. their thoughts, accusing or excusing one 
another, certainly does not refer to any expostulations or operations 
of conscience ; for this is referred to in the preceding clause. The 
words accusing, xarnyogcuyrav, and excusing, am@orcyoumeray, an- 
swering or defending, one another ; weraéu aranawy, among them- 
selves ; are all forensic, or law terms; and refer to the mode of con- 
ducting suits of law in courts of justice, where one is plaintiff, who 
produces his accusation; another is defendant, who rebuts the 
charge, and defends himself; and then the business is argued before 
the judges. This process shows that they have a law of their own; 
and that to this law it belongs to adjust differences; to right those 
who have suffered wrong ; and to punish the guilty. _ 

As to the phrase, written in their hearts, it is here opposed to the 
Jewish laws, which were written on tables of stone. The Jews 
drew the maxims by which their conduct was regulated from a di- 
vine revelation : the Gentiles theirs, from what God, in the course 
ef his providence and gracious influence, had shown them to be 
right, useful, and necessary. And with them this law was well 
known and affectionately regarded: for this is one meaning of the 
phrase written in the heart. It was from this true light, enlightening 
the Gentiles, that they had so many wise and wholesome laws; laws 
which had been among them from time immemorial; and of which 
they did not know the origin. Thus Sophocles, in the noble speech 
swhich he puts in the mouth of Antigone— , 

Ou yap tt wun ye uayber war? wee wore 
Zn cavra, x avdes oer e& orou Gavi 
* Not now,nor yesterday, but evermore 
The laws have liv’d: nor know we whence they came.” 


Antig. ver, 463—4, 


ROMANS.—CHAP. II. 95 


i8 And * knowest his will, and > approvest © the things 
that are more excellent, being instructed out of the law; 

19 And “art confident that thou thyself art a guide of the 
blind, a light of them which are in darkness, 

20 An instructer of the foolish, a teacher of babes, 


a Deut. 4.8, Fsa. 147. 19, 20.—» Or, triest the things that differ.—e Phil. 1. 10. 
. d Matt. 15.14. & 23. 16, 17, 19,24. John 9. 34, 40, 41 


These are the laws, Nouwsua, which the Spirit of God wrote origin- 
ally on their hearts; and which, in different forms, they had com- 
mitted to wriling. : 

Verse 17. Behold thou art called a Jew] What the apostle had 
said in the preceding verses, being sufficient to enforce conviction 
on the conscience of the Jew, he now throws off the cover, and 
openly argues with him in the most plain and nervous manner ; 
asserting that his superior knowledge, privileges, and profession, 
served only to aggravate his condemnation. And that, in fact, he 
who under all his greater advantages transgressed the law of God, 
stood condemned by the honest Gentile, who, to the best. of his 
knowledge, obeyed it. Dr. Taylor. ; 

And restest in the law] Thou trustest in it for thy endless salvation. 
The word exayazavn, implies the strongest confidence of safety and 
security. Thou reposest thy whole trust and confidence in this law. 

And makest thy boast of God] That thou knowest his nature and 
attributes, which are not known to the Gentiles. The word xav- 
yeoee, implies the idea of exulting in any thing, as being a proper 
object of hope and dependance: and, when referred to Gop, it 
points out that wx is the sure cause of hope, dependance, joy, and 
happiness. And that it is the ’°~hest honour to be called to know 
his name, and be employed in his service. As if the apostle had said, 
you rejoice in God as the object of your hope and dependance; you 
praise and magnify him; you account it your greatest honour that 
HE is your God; and that you worship him. See Zuylor. 

Verse 18. Knowest his will] Have been favoured with a revela- 
tion of his own will, immediately from himself. 

The things that are more excellent] Ta diagepoven, the things that 
differ ; that revelation which God has given of himself, makes the 
nicest distinctions between right and wrong; between vice and vir- 
tue; showing how you should walk so as to please God; and, con- 
sequently, acquire the most excellent portion that human spirits can 
have on this side heaven: for all these blessings ye acknowledge to 
receive from your law, being instructed xarnxoupevos, being cafe- 
chised from your infancy in the knowledge of divine things. 

Verse 19. And art confident, &c.| In consequence of all these re- 
ligious advantages ye believe that ye are able to teach others, and to 
be guides and lights to the bewildered, darkened Gentiles, who may 
become proselytes to your religion. d 

Verse 20. .4n instructer of the foolish, &c.] Ye believe the Gen- 


96 ROMANS.—CHAP., II. 3 


2 which hast the form of knowledge and of the truth in 
the law. m¢ . 

21 > Thou, therefore which teachest another, teachest | 
thou not thyself? thou that preachest a man should not 
steal, dost thou steal ? , 

22 Thou that sayest a man should not commit adultery, 
dost thou commit adultery ? thou that abhorrest idols, 
¢ dost thou commit sacrilege ? 


aCh, 6.17. 2 Tim. 1.13. & 3. 5.—b Psa. 50. 16, &c. Matt. 23.3, &e.—c Mal, 3. 8. 


tiles to be babes and fools, when compared with yourselves: that ye 
alone possess the only true knowledge ; that ye-are the only favour- 
ites of heaven; and that all nations must look up to you as possessing 
the only form of knowledge, noppwcty tis yaosas, the grand scheme 
and draught of all true science; of every thing that is worthy to be 
learned; the system of eternal truth, derived from the law. If, 
therefore, ye act not as becomes those who have such eminent ad- 
vantages, it must be to your endless disgrace and infamy. 

Verse 21. Thou therefore] Dr, Taylor has paraphrased this, and 
the three following verses, thus—“ What signify your pretensions to 
knowledge, and the office of teaching others; if you have no regard 
to your own doctrine? What are you the better for preaching 
against theft, if you are a thief yourself? Or for declaring adultery 
unlawful, if you live in the practice of it? Or for representing 
idolatry abominable, if you are guilty of sacrilege? What honours, 
or singular' favours, do you deserve, if, while you glory in the law 
and your religious privileges, you dishonour God, and discredit his 
religion by transgressing his law, and living in open contradiction to 
your profession? And this is more than supposition; notorious in- 
stances might be produced of the forementioned crimes, whereby the 
Jews of the present age have brought a reproach upon religion 
among the Gentiles; as well as those Jews of former times, of whom 
the prophet Ezekiel speaks, chap. xxxvi.23. And I will sanctify my 
great name, which was PROFANED among ihe HEATHEN; Which ye 
have PROFANED %™m the midst of them.’’- 

That the Jewish priesthood was exceedingly corrupt in the time 
of the apostle, and that they were so long before, is fully evident from 
the Sacred Writings, and from Josephus. The high priesthood was 
a matter of commerce; and was bought and sold like other com- 
modities. Of this, Josephus gives many instances. The rapine of 
Els sons descended to several generations. Dr. Whitby well ob- 
serves, that of all these things mentioned by the apostle, the Jewish 
doctors were notoriously guilty ; and of most of them they were 
accused by our Lord. 1. They said and did not; and laid heavy 
burdens upon others, which they would not touch with their own jin- 
gers, Matt. xxiii. 3,4. 2. They made the house of God a den of 
thieves, Matt. xxi. 13. John ii. 16. 3. They were guilty of adul- 


ROMANS.—CHAP. If. 97 


23 Thou that * makest thy boast of the law, through 
breaking the law dishonourest thou God ? ; 

24 For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gen- 
tiles through you, as it.is » written. 


a Ver. 17.—b 2Sam. 12. 14. Isa. 52.5. Ezek. 36. 20, 23. 


tery, -by unjust divorces, Matt. xix. 9. 4. Their polygamy was 
scandalous: even their rabbins, when they came to any place, would 
proclaim, ‘‘ Who will be my wife fora day?’ As to idolatry, they 
were perfectly saved from it, ever since the Babylonish captivity : 
bat to this succeeded sacrilege, as is most evidert in the profanation 
of the temple, by their commerce transacted even within its courts. 
And their teaching the people that even their aged parents might be 
left to starve, provided the children made a present to the temple, of 
that which should have gone for their support. According to Jose- 
phus, Bel. Jud. 1. vi. c. 26. they were guilty of theft, treachery, 
adultery, sacrilege, rapine, and murder. And he adds, that “new 
ways of wickedness were invented by them; and that, of all their 
abominations, the temple was the receptacle.”? In his Antiquities of 
the Jews, b. xx. c. 8. he says, ‘“‘ The servants of the high priests 
took away by violence, the tithes of the priests, so that many of 
them perished for want of food.” Even their own writers acknow- 
ledge that there were great irregularities and abominations among 
the rabbins.: 

So Bereshith Rabba, sect. 55. fol. 54. —*‘ Rabbi Abun proposed a 
parable concerning a master, who taught his disciple not to pervert 
justice, and yet did it himself; not to show respect of persons, and 
yet did it himself; not to receive bribes, and yet received them him- 
self; not to take usury, and yet took it himself: the disciple replied 
—Rabbi, thou teachest me not to take usury, and yet thou takest it 
thyself! Can that be lawful to thee which is forbidden to me 2” 

Verse 24. For the name of God is blasphemed, &c.] In Debarim 
Rabba, sect. 2. fol. 251. it is said, ‘ The rulers destroy the influence 
of their own words among the people ; and this is done, when a rab- 
bin, sitting and teaching in the academy, says—Do rot take usury, 
and himself takes it; do not commit rapine, and himself commits it ; 
do not steal, and himself steals.”? That they were exceedingly lax 
in their morals, the following fact proves: “Rabbi Ilai said, if a 
man see that his evil propensities are likely to prevail against him, 
let him go to some place where he is not known, and let him put on 
black clothes and cover his head with a black veil ; and then let him 
do whatsoever he pleaseth, lest the name of God should be publicly 
profaned.” Moed katon, fol.17. 1. In Sohar levit. fol. 31. col. 122. 
it is said, “On three accounts the Jews are obliged to remain in cap- 
tivity—1. Because they openly reproach the Shechinah—2. Because 
they profane themselves before the Shechinah—3. Because they turn 
away their faces from the Shechinah.’’ : 

But it would be endless to collect from their history, the proofs of 

9 


7 ¥ a an id er 
98 ROMANS.—CHAP. Il. 


25 ® For circumcision verily profiteth, if thou keep the 
law: but if thou be a breaker of the law, thy cireumcision 
is made uncircumcision. YF nt 

26 Therefore > if the uncircumcision keep the righteous- 
hess of the law, shall not his uncircumcision be counted 
for circumcision ? 

27..And shall not uncircumcision, which is by nature, if 
it fulfil the law, °judge thee who by the letter and cir- 
cumeision dost transgress the law ? : ‘ 

28 For ‘he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly ; nei- 
ther 7 that circumcision which is outward in the flesh : 

29 But he is a Jew, © which is one inwardly : and ‘ cir- 
cumcision ts that of the heart, £in the spirit, and not in 
the letter ; " whose praise is not of men, but of God. 


aGul. 5. 3.—b Acts 10. 34, 35.—c Matt. 12. 41, 42.—d Matt. 3. 9. John 8. 39. Ch. 9.6, 
%. Gal. 6. 15. Rev. 2. 9.—e 1 Pet. 3. 4.—fCol. 2. 11. Phil. 3.:3.—s Ch. 7. 6. 2 Cor. 3.6 
-h1 Cor. 4. 5. 2 Cor. 10. 18. 1 Thess. 2. 4. 


the charges brought here against them by the apostle. See Whitby, 
Schoettgen, and others, 

Verse 25. For circumcision verily profiteth] It is a blessing to be- 
long to the church of God, and wear the sign of the covenant ; pro- 
vided the terms of the covenant are complied with. 

But if thou be a breaker of the law] If thou do not observe the 
conditions of the covenant; the outward sign is both without mean- 
ing and without effect. This was a maxim of the rabbins them- 
selves; for they allowed that an apostate or ungodly Israelite, must 
go to hell, notwithstanding his circumcision. é 

Verse 26. Therefore, if the uncircumcision, &c.] If the Gentiles 
be found to act according to the spirit and design of the law, his 
acting thus uprightly, according to the light which God has afforded 
him, will be reckoned to him as if he were circumcised, and walked 
agreeably to the law. ; 

- Verse 27. And shall not uncircumeision, which is by nature] And 
shall not the Gentile, who is, ex pucews, according to the custom of 
his country ; who is by birth not obliged to be circumcised. 

If it fulfil the law] If such a person act according fo the spirit 
and design of the law; judge, xpivet, condemn thee, who, whilst thou 
dost enjoy the letter, the written law; and bearest in thy body the 
proof of the circumcision which it requires, dost transgress that law ? 

Verse 28. For he is not a Jew] A genuine member of the church 
of God, who has only an outward profession. 

Neither is that circumcision] Circumcision is a rite which repre- 
sents a spiritual thing, viz. the change and purification of the heart, 
as may be seen, Jer. iv. 4, 6, 10. ix. 26. Ezek. xliv. 7, 9. 

ee 29. But he isa Jew] A true member of the church of 
od. 


ROMANS.—CHAP. II. 99 


Which is one inwardly] ~Who has his heart purified, according to 
what God has uniformly prescribed by his prophets, see above ; for 
circumcision. is of the heart in the spirit, ey Wysupars, by the Spirit 
of God, who is the author of all spiritual affections and holy pur- 
poses: or every thing here is to be understood spiritually, and not 
literally ; for without holiness none can please God, and without ho- 
liness, none can see him. 

Whose praise is not of men] It has, with great probability, been 
conjectured, that the apostle may here refer to the signification of 
the name Jew or Judah, sm» Yehudah, Praise, from my Yadah, he 
PRAISED. Such a one is a true Israelite, who walks in conformity 
to the spirit of his religion ; his countrymen may praise him because 
he is a steady professor of the Jewish faith; but Gon praises him 
because he has entered into the spirit and design of the covenant 
made with Abraham ; and has got the end of his faith, the salvation 
of his soul. Sentiments like these, on the same subject, may be 
found in the ancient Jewish writers. Rabbi Lipman gives the opin- 
ion of their most ancient and pure writers in these words: “A cer- 
tain Christian mocked us, saying, ‘ Women, who cannot be circum- 
cised, cannot be reckoned among Jews.’ Such persons are ignorant 
that faith does not consist in circumcision, but in the heart. He, 
who has not genuine faith, is not a partaker of the Jewish circum- 
cision ; but he who has genuine faith, is a Jew, although not circum- 
cised.” Nizzacuon, Num. 21. p.19. It is a curious maxim of the 
Talmudists, That the Jews sit in the inmost recesses of the heart. 
Ninna, fol. 20.2. This is exactly the sentiment of St. Paul, czr- 
cumcision is of the heart in the spirit. In short, common sense, as 
well as their law and their prophets, taught every considerate man 
among them, that God could be pleased with their rites and external 
performances, no farther than they led to holiness of heart and 
righteousness of life. 


1. What the apostle says in the preceding chapter concerning the 
Gentiles doing by nature the things contained in the law, if properly 
considered, would lead certain persons from forming erroneous judg- 
ments concerning the divine dispensations. We arenot tosuppose that 
Godis not to be found, where his written word does not appear; nor, that 
the salvation of the nations yet unblessed with the light of the Gospel, 
is impossible. God has never.confined himself to any one particular 
way, of communicating his salyation; no more than he has confined 
his saving grace to one people. His word is an indescribable bless- 
ing; but that word becomes effectual to salvation, when accompa- 
nied by the power of the Holy Spirit. It was that Spirit which 
gave the word originally; and that same Spirit can speak without 
this word. It is through his influence alone, that the Gentiles do the 
things contained in his own law; and it is not to be wondered at, 
that the work is the same, both in the law and in the heart, when it 
has proceeded from the same Spirit. ; 

2. God therefore will judge all nations according to the use and 
abuse they have made of this word, whether it was written in the 
heart, or written on tables of stone. 


a eo al 
100 ROMANS.—CHAP. III. . 


_3. As he is no respecter of persons, all nations are equally dear fo 
him; and he has granted, and will grant to. them such discoveries of 
himself, as have been, and will be sufficient for their salvation. 

4. His Worp is an infinite blessing; and he has given it to one 
people that they may be the means of conveying it to another. Eu- 
rope, and especially Christian Europe, has got the Bible; and God. 
requires Europe to send the Bible throughout the earth. If this be 
not done through their neglect, the Gentile nations will not be de- © 
stroyed by a merciful God; yet the Europeans will have a most 
solemn and awful account to render to their Judge, that they have 
hidden the heavenly light under their own bushel. Britain is sha- 
king herself from the dust, and by means of the British and Foreign 
Bible Society is sending the Holy Scriptures to every kingdom, and 
nation, and people, and tongue. The Gentiles are now learning 
from the written law more fully and savingly what the Spirit of 
God had before written on their hearts ; and it seems as if the king- 
dom of God were now about to come, with all-conquering power. 


CHAPTER IIl. 


The apostle points out the peculiar privileges of the Jews, 1—8, but shows 
that they also, as well as the Gentiles, had sinned, and forfeited all right 
and title to God’s especial favour, 9. The corrupt state of all mankind, 
10—18. All the world is guilty before God, and none can be justified by 
the works of the law, 19, 20. God’s mercy in providing redemption for a 
lost world, by Jesus Christ, 21—26. This excludes boasting on the part 
both of Jew and Gentile ; provides salvation through faith for both, and 
does not set aside, but establishes the law, 27—31. 


Vy HAT ®* advantage then hath the Jew? or what 
profit is there of circumcision ? 


a Ch. 2. 25, 26, 28, 29. Psa. 30. 9. 


NOTES ON CHAPTER IIL 

Dr. Taylor observes, ‘In the preceding chapter, the apostle has 
carried his argument to the utmost length; what remains is to keep 
the Jew in temper, to fix his convictions, and to draw the grand con- 
clusion. Ais 
- “He has shown that the Jews were more wicked than the Gen- 
tiles; that their possession of the law, circumcision, and outward 
profession of relation to God, were no ground of acceptance with 
him. This was, in effect, to say, that the Jews had forfeited their 
right to the privileges of God’s peculiar people; and that they were 
as unworthy to be continued in the church, as the Gentiles were to 
be taken into it; and consequently, in order to their enjoying the 
privileges of the church under the Messiah, they stood in need of a 
fresh display of grace, which, if they rejected, God would cast them 
out of the vineyard. The apostle was sensible that the Jew would 
understand what he said in this sense ; and that it must be very irri- 


ROMANS.—CHApP. III. 10% 


2 Much every way: chiefly, because that unto them 
were committed the oracles of God. 


2 Deut. 4.7. 8, Psa. 147. 19. 20. Ch. 2. 18. & 9. 4. 


tating to him, to hear that his law, circumcision, and all his external 
advantages, were utterly insufficient to procure him the favour of 
God. This at once stripped him of all his peculiar honours and 
privileges: and the apostle, who had often argued with his country- 
men on these points, knew what they would be ready to say on this 
subject; and, therefore, introduces a dialogue between himself and 
a Jew, in which he gives him leave to answer and defend himself. 
In this dialogue, the apostle undoubtedly refers to the rejection of 
the Jews, which he considers at large in the ixth, xth, and xith chap- 
ters. After the dialogue is finished, he resumes his argument, and 
proves by their own scriptures, that the Jews were guilty as well as 
other men ; and that no part of mankind could have any right to the 
blessings of God’s kingdom by any works which they had performed ; 
but merely through the propitiatory sacrifice offered by Christ: and 
that this, far from destroying the law, was just the thing that the law 
required, and by which its claims were established. 

‘** The sum and force of the apostle’s argument is this, all sorts of 
men, Jews, as well as Gentiles, have sinned; therefore, none of 
them can lay claim to the blessings of his kingdom on the ground of 
obedience. The Jew, therefore, stands as much in need of God’s 
grace to give him a title to those blessings, as the Gentile: and, 
consequently, the Gentile has as good a title as the Jew. And 
when all are in the same circumstances, it is perfectly absurd for any 
to pretend to engross it to themselves exclusively of others, who are 
only as bad as they. 

“ Thus the apostle solidly proves, that we Gentiles, through faith 
alone, have a good and firm title to all the blessings of the Gospel 
covenant, election, adoption, pardon, privileges, ordinances, the Holy 
Spirit, and the hope of eternal life.’? Taylor’s Notes, p. 259, 260. 

As the nine first verses are a dialogue between the apostle and a 
Jew, I shall prefix the speakers to their respective questions and an- 
swers, to make the whole the more intelligible to the reader. 


Verse 1. Jew.—What advantage then hath the Jew? or what 
profit is there of circumcision] As if he had said, you lately allowed _ 
(chap. ii. 25.) that circumcision verily profiteth; but if circumci- 
sion, or our being in covenant with God, raises us no higher in the 
divine favour than the Gentiles ; if the virtuous among them are as 
acceptable as any of us, nay, and condemn our nation too, as no 
longer deserving the divine regards; pray tell me, wherein lies the 
superior honour of the Jew; and what benefit can arise to him from 
his circumcision, and being vested in the privileges of God’s peculiar 
people? 5 . 

Verse 3. APosTLE.—Much every way] The Jews, in reference to 

ax 


ee ee oe 
102 ROMANS.—CHAP. II. 


3 For, what if ?some did not believe ? shall their un- 
belief make the faith of God without effect ? 

4 ©God forbid: yea, let 4 God be true, but “every man 
a liar ; as it is written, ‘ That thou mightest be justified in 
thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged. 

5 But if our unrighteousness commend the righteousness 
of God, what shall we say ? Js God unrighteous who ta- 
keth vengeance ? (£1 speak as a man.) 


a Ch. 10. 16. Hebr. 4. 2.—b Numb, 23. 19. Ch. 9.6, & 11. 29. 2 Tim. 2. 13.—c Job 
40. 8.—d John 3. 33.—e Psa. 62. 9. & 116. 11.—f Psa. 51. 4.—e Ch. 6.19. Gal. 3.15. 


the means and motives of obedience, enjoy many advantages, beyond 
the Gentiles, and principally, because to them were committed the 
oracles of God; that revelation of his will to Moses and the pro- 
phets, containing a treasure of excellencies, with which no other 
part of the world has been favoured; though they have most griev- 
ously abused these privileges. ee 

Verse 3. Jew.—For what] Ti ye, what then ? if some did not believe 
_ &c. Ifsome of the Jewish nation have abused their privileges, and acted 
contrary’to their obligations, shall their wickedness annul the pro- 
mise which God made to Abraham, that he would, by an everlasting 
covenant be a God to him, and to his seed after him, Gen. xyii. 7. 
Shall God, therefore, by stripping the Jews of their peculiar honour, 
as you intimate he will, falsify his promise to the nation, because 
some of the Jews are bad men? 

Verse 4. ApostLE.—God forbil] Mu ysvorro, let it not be, far from 
it, by no means. Yea, let God be true, but every man a lar, &c. We 
must ever maintain that God is true, and that if in any case his pro- 
mise appear to fail, it is because the condition on which it was given, 
has not been complied with; which is the sense of what is written, 
Psal. li. 4. I acknowledge my sin, and condemn myself that the truth 
of thy promise, (2 Sam. vii. 15, 16.) to establish my house and 
throne for ever, may be vindicated when thou shalt execute that 
dreadful threatening (2 Sam. xii. 10.) that the sword shall never 
depart from my house, which I own I have brought upon myself by 
my own iniquity. Should any man say, that the promise of God had 
failed toward him; let him examine his heart and his ways, and he 
will find, that he has departed out of that way in which alone God 
could, consistently with his holiness and truth, fulfil the promise. 

Verse 5. Jew.—But if our unrighteousness commend the right- 
eousness of God] May we not suppose that our unrighteousness may 
serve to commend and illustrate the mercy of God, in keeping and 
fulfilling to us the promise which he made to our forefathers? The 
more wicked we are, the more his faithfulness to his ancient pro- 
mise is to be admired.’ And if so, would not God appear unjust in 
taking vengeance and casting us off? 

I speak as a man] {I feel for the situation both of myself and nry 
eountrymen ; and it is natural for one to speak as I do. 


ROMANS.—CHAP, IIL. 103 


% God forbid: for then * how shall God judge the world ? 

7 For, if the truth of God hath more abounded through 
my lie unto his glory ; why yet am I also judged as a sin- 
ner? / 

8 And not rather, (as we be slanderously reported, and 
as some affirm that we say,) »Let us do evil, that good 
may come ? whose damnation is just. i 

9 What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise : 
for we have before © proved both Jews and Gentiles, that 
4 they are all under sin: 

10 As it is written, © There is none righteous, no, not one : 


2 Gen. 18. 25. Job 8.3. & 34, 17.—b Ch. 5. 20. & 6. 1, 15.—c Gr. charged. Ch. 1. 23, 
&c. & 2. 1, &€.—4 Ver. 23. Gal. 3. 22.—e Psa. 14.1, 2, 3. & 53.1. 


Verse 6. ApostLE.—God forbid] Mu y2vorre, by no means. God 
cannot be unjust; were he unjust, he could not be qualified to 
judge the world, nor inflict that punishment on the unfaithful Jews, 
to which J refer. 

Verse 7, JEw.—For if the truth of God, &c.] But to resume my 
reasoning, (see verse 5.) If the faithfulness of God in keeping his 
promise made to our fathers, is, through our unfaithfulness, made far 
more glorious'than it otherwise would have been; why should we 
pepe be blamed for that which must redound so much to the honour 
of God ? 

Verse 8. ApostiE.—And not rather, &c.] And why do you not 
say, seeing you assume this ground, that in all cases we should do 
wickedly, because God, by freely pardoning, can so glorify his own 
grace? This is a most impious sentiment, but it follows from your 
reasoning; it has indeed been most injuriously laid to the charge of 
us apostles, who preach the doctrine of free pardon, through faith, 
without the merit of works; but this is so manifest a perversion of 
the truth, that a just punishment may be expected to fall on the 
propagators of such a slander. 

Verse 9. Jew.—What then?] After all, have not we Jews a 
better claim to the privileges of the kingdom of God, than the Gen- 
tiles have? HS b 

AposTLE.—No, in no wise] For I have already proved that both 
Jews and Gentiles are under the guilt of sin: that they are equally 
unworthy of the blessings of the Messiah’s kingdom ; and that they 
must both, equally, owe their salvation to the mere mercy of God. 
—From this, to the end of the 26th verse, the apostle proceeds to 
prove his assertion, that both Jews and Gentiles were all under sin; 
and that he might enforce the conviction upon the heart of the Jew, 
he quotes his own Scriptures, which he acknowledged had been 
given by the inspiration of God, and consequently true. 

Verse 10. 4s it is written] See Psal. xiv. 1, 25 3. ftom which 
this, anil the two following verses, are taken. 


te ‘ [ 1 ee 
] 104 ROMANS.—CHAP. Til. 
11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that 
seeketh after God. F ty 
‘12 They are all gone out of the way, they are together 
become unprofitable ; there is none that doeth good, no 
not one. 
13 * Their throat ts an’ open sepulchre; with their 


tongues they have used deceit; ™ the poison of asps is 
under their lips : 


a Pea. 5. 9.. Jer. 5. 16.—b Pan. 140. 3. 


There is none righteous] This is true, not only of the Jews, but 
of the Gentiles: of every soul of man considered in his natural and 
practical state, previously to his receiving the mercy of our Lord 
Jesus Christ. There is no righteous principle in them, and conse-~. 
quently, no righteous.act can be expected from them ; see on ver. 12. 
God himself is represented as looking down from heaven, to see if 
there were any that feared and sought after him; and yet he, who 
cannot be deceived, could find none! And therefore, we may safely 
conclude there was none to be found. ; 

Verse 12. They are all gone out of the way| Tlavree sfexaivar ; 
they have all diverged from the right way; they have either aban- 
doned or corrupted the worship of God; the Jews, in forsaking the 
dw and the prophets; and the Gentiles, in acting contrary to the 
law which God had written on their hearts. And the departure of 
both from the truth, proves the evil propensity of human nature in 
general, tine 

They are together become unprofitable] Hyesaburay; they are 

~aseless ; good for nothing; or, as the Hebrew has it, 1nds3 me-elachu, 
they are putrid; he views the whole mass of mankind as slain, and 
thrown together, to putrify in heaps. This is what is termed the 
corruption of human nature; they are infected and infectious: 
what need of the mercy of God to save from such a state of dege- 
neracy ! 

There is none that doeth good] In ver. 10. it is said, there ¢s none 
righteous—here, there is none that doeth good; the first may refer 
fo the want of a righteous principle: the second, to the necessary 
consequence of the absence of such a principle. If e be no 
righteousness within, there will be no acts of goodness wi t. 

Verse 13. Their throat is an open sepulchre] This, with all the 
following verses, to the end of the 18th, are found in the Septuagint, 
but not in the Hebrew text ; and it is most evident that it was from 
this version that the apostle quoted, as the verses cannot be found in 
any other place with so near an approximation to the apostle’s 
meaning and words. The verses in question, however, are not found 
in the Alexandrian MS. But they exist in the Vulgate, the Aithio- 
pic, and the Arabic. As the most ancient copies of the Septuagint 
@o mot contain these verses; come contend fhat the apostle haa 


ROMANS.—CHAP. III. 103 


14 * Whose mouth #s full of cursing and bitterness : 

15 » Their feet are swift to shed blood : c 
16 Destruction and misery are in their ways : 

17 And the way of peace have they not known: 

18 © There is no fear of God before their eyes. 


a Psa. 10, 7.—b Prov. 1. 16. Isai. 59.7, 8.—c Psa. 36. 1. 


quoted them from different parts of Scripture; and later transcribers 
of the Septuagint, finding that the 10th, 11th, and 12th verses were 
quoted from the xivth Psalm, imagined that the rest were found ori- 
ginally there too, and so incorporated them in their copies, from the 
apostle’s text; but this is by no means satisfactory. 

Their throat is an open sepulchre—By. their malicious and wicked 
words, they bury, as it were, the reputation of all men: the whole 
of this verse appears to belong to their habit of lying, defamation, 
slandering, &c. by which they wounded, blasted, and poisoned the 
reputation of others. 

Verse 14. Whose mouth is full of cursing, &c.] They never 
speak but in profane oaths, blasphemies, and malice. 

Verse 15. Their feet are swift to shed blood] They make use of 
every means in their power to destroy the reputation and lives of 
the innocent. 

Verse 16. Destruction and misery are in their ways| Destruction 
is their work, and misery to themselves and to the objects of their 
malice, is the Re tecnce of their impious and murderous can- 

uct, 

Verse 17. And the way of peace have they not known] They nei- 
ther have peace in themselves, nor do they suffer others to live in 
quiet: they are brooders and fomenters of discord. 

Verse 18. There is no fear of God before their eyes.| This com- 
pletes their bad character; they are downright atheists, at least 
practically such. They fear not God’s judgments ; although his 
eye is upon them in their evil ways. There is not one article of 
what is charged against the Jews and Gentiles here, that may not 
be found justified by the histories of both, in the most ample manner. 
And what was true of them in those primitive times, is true of them 
still. With very little variation, these are the evils in which the 
vast mass of mankind delight and live. Look-especially at men in a 
state of warfare: look at the nations of Europe, who enjoy most of 
the light of God; see what has taken place among them, from 1792 
to 1816; see what destruction of millions; and what misery of hun- 
dreds of millions, have been the consequence of Satanic excitement 
in fallen ferocious passions! O sin, what hast thou done! How 
many myriads of souls hast thou hurried, unprepared, into the eter- 
nal world! \ among men or angels, can estimate the greatness 
of this calamity! this butchery of souls! What widows, what or- 
phang, are left to deplore their sacrificed husbands and parents; and 
their own consequent wretchedness! , And whence sprang all this? 


6 ee ee te 
106 ROMANS.—CHAP. lil 


19 Now we know that what things soever * the law saith, 
it saith to them who are under the law: that » every 
mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become 
‘guilty before God. 

20 Therefore, © by the deeds of the law there shall no 
flesh be justified in his sight: for * by the law is the know- 
ledge of sin. 


2 John 10, 34. & 15. 25.—b Job 5. 16, Psa. 107. 42. Ezek. 16. 63. Ch. 1.20. & 2. 1.— 
© Ver. 9, 23. Ch. 2. 2.—d Or, aoe to the judgment of God.—€ Psa. 143. 2. Acts 13. 
39. Gal. 2.16. & 3.11. Eph. 2.8, 9. Tit. 3. 5.—f€h. 7.7. 


From that, whence come all wars and fightings: the evil desin es of 


men; the lust of dominion: the insatiable thirst for money; and the 
desire to be sole and independent. This is the sin that ruined our 
rst parents, expelled them from paradise ; and which has descended 
to all their posterity; and proves fully, incontestably proves, that 
we are their legitimate offspring, the fallen progeny of fallen pa~ 
rents. Children, in whose ways are destruction and misery: in 
whose heart there is no faith; and before whose eyes there is no- 
thing of the fear of God. ; 
Verse 19. What things soever the law saith] That the word law, 
here, does. not mean the pentateuch, is evident from the preceding 
quotations, not one of which is taken from that work. Either the 
term /aw must here mean the Jewish writings in general: or that 
rule of moral conduct which God had given to both Jews and Gen- 
tiles: to the former in their own Scriptures: to the latter, in that 
law written in their hearts by his own Spirit, and acknowledged in 
their written codes, and in their pleading in every civil case. Now, 
according tot his great law, this rule of moral conduct, whether given 
in a written revelation, as to the Jews, or by the secret inspira- 
tion of his Spirit, as in certain cases, to the Gentiles: every mouths 
must be stopped, and the whole world, was o xogmos, both Jews and 
Gentiles, stand convicted before God: for all mankind have sinned 
ainst this law. ; 
Verse 20. Therefore, by the deeds of the law] On the score of 
obedience to this moral law, there shall no flesh, ov raca apg, no 
Auman being, be justified; none can be accepted in the sight of 
God. And why? Becanse, by the law is the knowledge of sin: it is 
that which ascertains what sin is; shows how men have deviated 
from its righteous demands; and sentences them to death because 
they have broken it. Thus the law is properly considered as the 
yule of right: and unless God had given some such means of dis- 
covering what sin is, the darkened heart of man could never have 
formed an adequate conception of it. For, as an acknowledged 
“straight edge is the only way in which the straightness or crooked- 
hess of a line can be determined; so the moral obliquity of human 
actions can only be determined by the law of God; that rule of 
right which proceeds from his own immaculate holiness: 


ROMANS.—CHAP. III. 1047 


21 But *now the righteousness of God without the law 
is manifested, » being witnessed by the law ©and the pro- 
phets ; 

22 Even the righteousness of God which is 4 by the faith 
of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe : 
© for there is no difference : 

23 For ‘ all have sinned and come short of the glory of 
God; ~ 

24 Being justified freely &by his grace, * through the 
redemption that is in Christ Jesus : 


a 

a Acts 15.11, Ch.1. 17. Phil. 3.9. Hebr. 11.4. &e.—bJohn 5. 46. Acts 26. 22.— 
eCh.1.2. 1 Pet. 1.10.—4dCh. 4. throughout.—e Ch. 10. 12.- Gal. 3. 28. Col. 3. 11- 
—fVer.9. Ch. 11.32. Gal.3.22.—g¢Ch.4.16. Eph.2.8. Tit. 3.5. 7.—b Matt. 26... 
28. Eph.1.7. Col.1.14. 1Tim.2.6. Hebr. 9.12. 1 Pet. 1. 18, 19. 4 
————————————————————eeESEaoaeaeaeaeaeSeEeEeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeEeEeEeESES==SQN™NENE="=E==E"ELEDEDE! 

Verse 21. But now the righteousness of God] God’s method of 
eaving sinners, is now shown by the Gospel, to be through his own 
mere mercy, by Christ Jesus ; without the law, without any right or 
claim which might result from obedience to the law; and is evidently 
that which was intended by God from the beginning; for zt és 
witnessed by the law and the prophets ; the rites and ceremonies of the 
one, and the preachings and predictions of the others, all bearing 
festimony to the great design of God; and to the absolute necessity 
there was for the sacrifice and salvation which God has provided. 

Verse 22. Even the rightcousness of God] That method of saving 
sinners, which is not of works, but by faith in Christ Jesus; and is 
not restrained to any particular people, as the law and its privileges 
were ; but is unto all mankind in its intention and offer; and becomes 
effectual to them that believe: for God hath now made no difference. 
between the Jews and Gentiles. 

Verse 23. For all have sinned] And consequently are equally 
helpless and guilty: and, as God is no respecter of persons, all hu- 
man creatures, being equally his offspring, and there being no reason 
why one should be preferred before another: therefore, his endless 
mercy has embraced atu. 

And come short of the glory of God] Kat vsepouvrar ruc SoEuc ruv 
©zou: These words have been variously translated ; failed of attain- 
ing the glory of God: Have not been able to bring glory to God: 
stand in need of the glory, (that is) the mercy of God. The simple 
meaning seems to be this; that, as all have sinned, and none can 
enjoy God’s glory, but they that are holy ! consequently, both Jews 
and Gentiles, have failed in their endeavours to attain it; ae, by the 
works of any law, no human being can be justified. y 
. Verse 24. Being justified freely by his grace] $%ofar from being 
able to attain the glory of God by their obedience, they are all 
guilty ; and, to be saved, must be freely pardoned by God’s grace; 
which is shown to them who believe, through the redemption, azo- 
auTewsts, the ransom price, which is in the sacrifice of Chriét Jess: 


108 ROMANS.—CHAP. If. be 
25 Whom God hath *set forth ° to be a propitiation, 
through faith © in his blood, to declare his righteousness 
‘for the © remission of ‘ sins that are past, through the 
forbearance of God ; 


a Or, Nags ordained.—> Lev. 16.15. 1 John 2. 2. & 4. 10.—c Col. 1 20.—4 Acts 13. 
38.39. 1 Tim. 1. 15.—e Or, passing over.— Acts 17.30. Hebr. 9. 15. 


The original is conipounded of axe, from; and aurpoa, I redeem; 

- and properly means the price laid down for the redemption of a cap- 
tive. Comprehendit hec Christi, Avoxurpaose, quicquid is docuit, 
fecit et passus est, eo concilio, ut homines malis liberati, precipué 
peccato, malorum fonte immunes, veram felicitatem adipiscerentur. 
—Rosenmiiller. This redemption of Christ comprebends whatso- 
ever he taught, did, or suffered, in order to free men from eyil; es- 
pecially to free them from Sin, "the source of evils; that they might 
attain true felicity. And that it here means the liberation purchased 
by the blood-shedding of Christ, is evident from Eph, i. 7, We have 
REDEMPTION, a70AUTea@CLY dia Tou aimarss avTov, THROUGH 
HIS BLOOD, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his 
grace. See also Col. i. 14. where the same words are found. 

Avarpa according to Suidas, is uicbes » ta wapsyousya uaee 
easubeprac, eri to rvtpacacbas BagCagwy dourciac. A reward; orthe ~ 
price given to be redeemed from the slavery of the barbarians. Aleus- 
ner, under the word Arcaurewsts, says, Negari quidem non potest, 
hanc vocem proprié notare redemptionem ejus, qui captivus detine- 
tur, sive bello, sive alio captus sit modo, que fit per pretii solutionem ; 
quo sensu verbum, exoaurgoa, legitur haud raro in Scripp. G 
No man certainly can deny that this word properly means the | 
demption of a captive, (whether he may have been ken in war or : 
in any other way) which is procured by the payment of a P 
That the word also means any deliverance, even where no price is 
paid down, nobody will dispute: but that it means redemption by a | 
price laid down; and the redemption of the soul by the price of the 
death of Christ, the above scriptures sufficiently prove. 

Verse 25. Whom God hath set forth] Appointed and. published ; 

~<to bea propitiation, IAasnpior, the mercy-seat, or place of atonement ; 
because the blood of the sacrifice was sprinkled on and before that, 
in order to obtain remission of sin, punishment, &c, The mercy- 
seat, was the lid, or cover of the ark of the covenant, where God was 
manifest in the symbol of his presence, between the cherubim; 
therefore the atonement that was made in this place, was properly 
made to God himself.. See the note on Luke xviii. 13. 

Through faith in his blood} This shows what we are to under- 
stand both ‘by the Axoautewots, redemption, and the Inasngicy, pro-~ 
pitzation : viz. that they reter to the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ, 
as the atonement made, and the price paid down for the redemption 

of the souls of men. 

To declare his righteousness] Ess evduiv, for the manifestation of 
his righteomsness; F¥s mercy in savieg simmers, by sending Jesus 


“« ROMANS.—CHAP. III. 109 
96 To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness : that 


he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth 
oS] 


in Jesus. $ : 
27 * Where is boasting then ? It is excluded. By what 
law ? of works? Nay, but by the law of faith. 


a Ch. 2.17, 23. & 4.2. 1. Cor. 1.29, 31. Ephes. 2. 9. 


Christ to make an atonement for them; thereby declaring his readi- 
ness to remit all past transgressions committed both by Jews and Gen- 
tiles, during the time in which his merciful forbearance was exer- 
cised towards the world ; and this applies to all who hear the Gospel 
now: to them is freely offered remission of all past sins. 

Verse 26. To declare, | say, at this time] To manifest now, by 
the dispensation of the Gospel, his righteousness, his infinite mercy ; 
and to manifest it in such a way, that he might still appear to be the 
just God, and yet the justifier, the pardoner of him who believeth in 
Jesus. Here we learn, that God designed to give the most evident 
displays, both of his justice and mercy. Of his justice, in requiring 
a sacrifice; and absolutely refusing to give salvation to a lost world | 
in any other way; and of his mercy, in providing TH® sacrifice 
' which his justice required. Thus, because Jesus was an atonement, 
a ransom price for the sin of the world, therefore God can, consist- 
ently with his justice, pardon every soul that believeth in Jesus. 
This is the full discovery of God’s righteousness, of his wonderful 
method of magnifying his law, and making it honourable; of show- 
ing the infinite purity of his justice, and of saving a lost world. 

Hitherto, from the 9th verse, the apostle had gone on without 
interruption; proving that Jew and Gentile were in a state of 
guilt and condemnation; and that they could be saved only by the 
redemption that is in Christ Jesus. The Jew finding his boasted pri- 
vileges all at stake, interrupts him, and asks : 

Verse 27. Jew.—Where is boasting then?] H xavyuote, this 
glorying of ours. Have we nothing in which we can trust for our 
acceptance with God? No merit of our own? Nothing accruing 
from our cicumcision, and being in covenant with God? 

AposTLE.—It is excluded] Efexneicbn, It is shut out: the door 
of heaven is shut against every- thing of this kind. : 

Jew.—By what law?] By what rule, doctrine, or reason, is it 
shut out? by the law of works? The rule of obedience which God 
gave to us; and by which obedience we are accepted by him ? 

ArosTLE.—Nay] Not by the law of works; glorying is not cut 
off, or shut out by that; it stands in full force as the rule of life ; but 
you have sinned and need pardon. The law of works grants no 
pardon, it requires obedience, and threatens the disobedient with 
death. Butall glorying in the expectation of salvatioa through 
your own obedience, is excluded by the law, the doctrine of faith; 
faith alone, in the mercy of God, through the propitiation made by 

10 ‘ 


» we 
110 ROMANS. _CHAP. Il. . 


28 Therefore we conclude * that a man is justified & 
faith, without the deeds of the law. 

29 Js he the God of the Jews only ?. ts he not also of the 
Gentiles ? wes; of the Gentiles also : 

30 Seeing, > zt zs one God, which shall justify the cir- 
cumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through faith. 


* Acts 13. 38, 99. Ver. 20, 21, 22., Ch. 8. 3 Gal. 2. 16.—)Ch, 10. 12, 12. 
~ Gal. 3. 8, 20, 28. - 


- 


the blood of Jesus, (ver. 25.) is that by which you can Sprig 
pardoned, and taken into the Divine favour. ; 

Verse 28. Therefore we conclude, Sc.) Seeing these can- 
not be denied, viz. that all have sinned; that all are ae that all 
are helpless ; that none can deliver his own soul; and that God, in 
his endless mercy, has opened a new and living way to the re 
the blood of Jesus, Heb. x. 19, 20, &c. therefore we, apostles 
Christian teachers, conclude, ropad opeeer prove by fair, rational se 
sequence, that a man, any man, is justified, has his sins blotted out, 
and is received into the Divine favour, by faith in Christ’s blood, 
without the deeds of the law, which never could afford, either to Jew 
or Gentile, a ground for justification; because both have sinned 
against the law which God has given them ; and, consequently, for- 
feited all right and title to the blessings which the obedient might — 
claim. 

Verse 29. Ishe the God of the Jews only 2] Do not begin to 
suppose that because you cannot be justified by the works of the law, 
and God has in his mercy found out a new method of saving you; 
that therefore this mercy shall apply to the Jews exclusively. Is 
not God the maker, preserver, and redeemer, also of the Gentiles? 
Yes, of the Gentiles also, as much as of the Jews: for all haye 
equally sinned; and there is no reason, if God be'disposed to show 
mercy at all, that he should prefer the one to the other; since they 
are all equally guilty, sinful, and necessitous. 

Verse 30. Seeing it is one God] Evresmeg tts 0 eos this has been 
rendered, seeing God is one. It however makes little difference in 
the sense: the apostle’s meaning most evidently is, it is one and the 
same God, who made both Jews and Gentiles, who shall justify, 
pardon the circumcision, the believing Jews, by faith: andthe un- __ 
circumcision, the believing Gentiles by the same faith; as there is 
but one Saviour, and one atonement provided for the whole. 

It is fanciful to suppose, that the apostle has one meaning when | 
he ones ex misewc, BY faith : and a different meaning when he says, 
dia THg ws, THROUGH faith. Both the prepositions are to be 
undecstel in precisely the same sense; only the addition of the 
article xe in the last case, extends and more pointedly ascertains the 
meaning. Itisone and the same God, who shall justify the belie- 


A 


joi wal 


et ee eT) Si Stair. | rk 


ROMANS.—CHAP. If. iil 


31 Do we then * make void the law through faith ? God 
forbid ; yea, we establish the law 


: a Matt. 5.17, 18. Gal. 3. 19, 23, 24. 


ving Jews by faith; and the believing Gentiles, dia rns wiseas; by 
THAT SAME faith. 

Verse 31. Do we then make void the law through faith] 1. By 
law here we may understand the whole of the Mosaic law, in its 
rites and ceremonies :*of which, Jesus Christ was the subject and 
the end. All that law had respect to him: and the doctrine of 
faith in Christ Jesus, which the Christian religion proclaimed, 
established the very. claims and demands of that law; by showing 
that all was accomplished in the passion and death of Christ ; for, 
without shedding of blood, the law would allow of no remission : and 
Jesus was that Lamb of God, which was slain from the foundation 


_ of the world; in whose blood we have redemption, even the remis- 


sion of sins. 2, We may understand also, the moral law, that which 
relates to the regulation of the manners, or conduct of men. This 
law also was established by the doctrine of salvation by faith; be- 
cause this faith works by love, and love is the principle of obedience : 
and whosoever receives salvation through faith in Christ, receives 
power to live in holy obedience to every moral precept; for such 
are God’s workmanship, created anew in Christ Jesus, unto good 
Pig ih in which they find it their duty and their interest incessantly 
to live. 


1. In the notes on the preceding chapter, I have, in general, fol- 
lowed the plan of Dr. ‘Taylor, and especially in regard to its dia- 
logue form; but I have often differed much from that very learned 
and judicious man, in the application of many words and doctrines, 
He cannot allow that the death of Christ should be considered as a 
price paid down for the salvation of men: and I confess, 1 cannot 
understand the apostle in any other way. Nor can I see the weight 
of many of his observations, nor the force of his conclusions on 
any other ground than this, that the passion and death of Christ 
were an atonement made to Divine justice, in the behalf of man ; 
and that it is through the merit of that great sacrifice, that God for- 
givessin. Nor can] see any reason why such great stress should be 
laid on faith, but as that lays hold on and takes up, the sacrifice of 
Christ as a ransom price for the redemption of the soul from the 
thraldom and misery of sin and Satan. , 

2. This chapter contains a fine and striking synopsis of the whole 
Christian system. The wretched state of man is awfully exhibited, 
from the 10th to the 18th verse; and the plan of salvation, in the 
24th, 25th, and 26th verses. A pious writer calls these the Cate- 
chism of Christian Righteousness. The following points in this cate- 
chism are worthy of high consideration—viz. How is God glorified 
in-us, and we in him?—By his grace. What does his grace work 


| ee COR es, * * 


112 ROMANS.—CHAP.1V. 


in us?—True holiness. Upon what motive ?—Because it is pleasing 
to him, By whom does he give us salvation?—By Jesus Christ. 
How has Christ obtained this for us?—By redeeming us. What 
price did he give?—His blood. What does his blood effect?—It 
reconciles us to God. How is it applied?—By faith. has 
given this victim of reconciliation ?—God the Father. he 
choose these means?—To confound the false righteousness of the 
Gentiles ; to abolish the figurative righteousness of the Jews; and 
to establish his own. What does this grace of God perform ?—It 
pardons sin; and purifies the heart. For whom is this designed ?— 
For all mankind, both Jews and Gentiles. ‘To whom are these bless- 
ings actually communicated ?——To all who repent, turn from their © 
sin, and believe on the Lord Jesus. Why did not God make known 
this grand method ofsalvation sooner?—1. To make it the more valued : 
2. To show his fidelity in the performance of his promises: and 3. To 
make known the virtue and efficacy of the blood of Christ, which 
sanctifies the present, extends its influence to the past, and continues 
the availing sacrifice, and way of salvation, to all fitare ages. 

3. On considering this glorious scheme of salvation, there is great 
danger ; lest, while we stand amazed at what was done ror us, We 
neglect what must be done iv us, Guilt in the conscience, and 
sin in the heart, ruin the man. Pardon in the conscience, and 
Christ in the heart, save the soul.—Christ has done much to save 
us; and the way of salvation is made plain: but unless he justify our 
conscience from dead works, and purify our hearts from all sinjhis 
passion and death will profit us nothing. While we boast in Christ 
Jesus, let us see that our rejoicing, xavynors, our boasting, be this, 
the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and godly sin-* 
cerity, not with fleshty wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have 
our conversation in the world, 2 Cor. i. 12. 

4. We must beware of Antinomianism : that is, of supposing that, 
because Christ has been obedient unto death, there is no necessity 
for our obedience to his righteous commandments. [If this were so, 
the grace of Christ would tend to the destruction of the law; and 
not to its establishment. He only is saved from his sins who has the 
Jaw of God written in his heart; and he alone has the law written 
in his heart who lives an innocent, holy, and useful life. Wherever 
Christ lives, he works; and his work of righteousness will a to 
his servants; and its effect will be quietness and assurance for ever. 
The life of God, in the soul of man, is the principle which saves and 
preserves eternally. 

See 


CHAPTER IV. — ¥ 


Abraham was justified by faith, and not by the works of the law ; for his faith 
was imputed to him for righteousness, —5. David also bears testimony 
to the same doctrine, 6—8. Abraham, the father of the Jewish race, was 
justified by faith, even before he wax circumcised ; therefore salvation must 
be of the Gentiles as well as the Jews, 9—12. And the ise that all 
the nations of the earth should be blessed in him, was made to him while 


: ROMANS.—CHAP. IY. 113 


he was in an uncircumcised state; and therefore, if salvation were of 
the Jews alone, the law that was given after the promise, would make the 
promise of no effect, 13—17, Description of Mpvatenre faith, and its 
effects, 18—22. This account is left on record for our salvation, that we 
might believe on Christ, who was delivered for our offences, and raised 
again for our justification, 23—25. 


\ THAT shall we then say that * Abraham, our father 
"as pertaining to the flesh hath found ? 


- aJsai. 51. 2. Matt. 3.9. Johi 8. 33, 39. 2 Cor. 11. 22. 


, é . NOTES ON CHAPTER IV. 

The apostle having proved in the foregoing chapter, that neither 
Jews nor Gentiles have a right to the blessings of God’s peculiar’ 
kingdom, otherwise than by grace, which is as free for the one as 
the other}; in this chapter advances a new argument, to convince 
the Jew, and toshow the believing Gentile in a.clear light, the high 
value, and strong security, of the mercies freely bestowed on them 
in the Gospel: and at the same time, to display the scheme of Di- 
vine Providence, as laid in the counsel and will of God. His argu- 
ment is taken from Abraham’s case: Abraham was the father and 
head of the Jewish nation: he had been an idolater, but God par- 
doned him, and took him and his posterity into his special covenant : 
and bestowed upon them many extraordinary blessings above the rest 
of mankind: and it is evident, that Abraham was not justified by 
any obedience to law, or rule of right action, but in the only way in 
which a sinner can be justified, by prerogative, or the mercy of the 
lawgiver. Now this is the very same way in which the Gospel saves 
the believing Gentiles, and gives them a part in the blessings of 
Gods covenant. Why then should the Jews oppose the Gentiles? 
especially as the Gentiles were actually included in the covenant 
made with Abraham; for the promise, Gen. xvii. 4. stated, that he 
should be the father of many nations; consequently, the covenant 
being made with Abraham, as the head, or father of many nations, 
all, in any nation.who stood on tke same religious principle with 
him, were his seed, and with him interested in the same covenant. 
But Abraham stood by faith in the mercy of God, pardoning his 
idolatry ; and upon this foot the believing Gentiles stand in the 
Gospel ; and therefore they are the seed of Abraham, and included 
in the covenant and promise made to him. 

To all this the apostle knew well it would be objected; that it 
was not faith alone that gave Abraham a right to the blessings of the 
covenant, but his obedience to the law of circumcision; and this 
being peculiar to the Jewish nation, gave them an interest in the 
Abrahamic covenant; and that, consequently, whoever among the 
Gentiles would be interested in that covenant, ought to embrace 
Judaism, become circumcised, and thus come under obligation to 
the whole law. With this very objection the apostle very dexte- 
rously introduces his argument, ver. 1, 2. Shows that, according te 

. 10% 


, Le ee 


y! 


114 ROMANS.—CHAP. IV. 


2 For, if Abraham were *justified by works, he hath 
whereof to glory ; but not before God. | 
eee 


Ch, 3, 20, 27, 28. 


the Scripture account, Abraham was justified by faith, ver. 3—5. 
explains the nature of that justification, by a quotation out of the 
Psalms, ver. 6—9. proves that Abraham was justified long before 
he was circumcised, ver. 9—11. that the believing Gentiles are his 
seed, to whom the promise belongs, as well as the believing Jews, 
ver. 12—17. and he describes Abraham’s fuith, in order to explain 
the faith of the Gospel, ver. 17—25. See Dr. Taylor’s notes. We 
may still suppose that the dialogue is carried on between the apostle 
and the Jew; and it will make the subjects still more clear to assign 
to each his respective part. The Jew asks a single question, which 
is contained in the 1st, and part of the 2d verses, And the apostle’s 
answer takes up the rest of the chapter. Si 

Verse 1. Jew.—What shall we then say, that Abraham, our father 
as pertaining to the flesh, hath found ?| The xara cagna, pertain- 
ing to the flesh, must here refer to the sign in Abraham’s flesh, viz. 
his circumcision: on which the Jew would found his right to pecu- 
liar blessings. That this is the meaning of zara cagua, according to 
the flesh, Dr. Taylor has proved by a collation of several parallel 
scriptures, which it is not necessary to produce here. We may, 
therefore, suppose the Jew arguing thus: But you set your argu- 
ment on a wrong footing, viz. the corrupt state of our nation; 
whereas we hold our prerogative above the rest of mankind, from 
Abraham, who is our father ; and we havea right to the blessings of 
God’s peculiar kingdom, in virtue of the promise made to him: his 
justification is the ground of ours. Now what shall we make of his 
case, on your principles? Of what use was his obedience to the law 
of circumcision, if it did not give him a right to the blessing of God ? 
And if, by his obedience to that law, he obtained a grant of extraor- 
dinary blessings, then, according to your own concession, chap. iii. 
27, be might ascribe his justification to something in himself; and, 
consequently, so may we too, in his right: and if so, this will ex- 
clude all those who are not circumcised as we are. ; 

Verse 2. For, if Abraham were justified by works] "The Jew pro- 
ceeds: 1 conclude therefore, that Abraham was justified by works, 
or by his obedience to this law of circumcision: and, consequently 
he has cause for glorying, xevxnue, to erult in something which he 
has done to entitle him to these blessings. Now, it is evident that 
he has this glorying, and consequently that he was justified’ by 
works. 

AposTLE.—But not before God] These seem to be the apostle’s 
words, and contain the beginning of his answer to the arguments of 
the Jew: as if he had said—Allowing that Abraham might glory 
in being called from heathenish darkness into such marvellous light ; 


ROMANS.—CHAP. IV. 115 


3 For, what saith the Scripture? * Abraham believed 
God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. 

4 Now ° to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned 
of grace, but of debt. 

5 But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him 
that justifieth © the ungodly, his faith is counted for righte- 
ousness. 

6 Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the 


2 Gen. 15. 6. Gal. 3. 6. James 2. 23.—b,.Ch. 11. 6.—¢ Josh. 24. 2. 


and exult in the privileges which God had granted to him. Yet this 

glorying was not before God, as a reason why those privileges should 

be granted; the glorying itself being a consequence of these very 
* privileges. 

Verse 3. For, what saith the Scripture?] The scriptural account 
of this transaction, Gen. xv. 6. is decisive; for, there it is said, 4bra- 
ham believed God, and it-was counted, croyic bn, it was reckoned tohim 
for righteousness : <tc Sizazsacuvay, for justrfication. 

Verse 4. Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of 
grace, but of debt.| Therefore, if Abraham had been justified by 
works, the blessings he received would have been given to him asa 
reward for those works; and consequently his believing could have 
had no part in his justification ; and his faith would have been useless. 

Verse 5. But to him that worketh not] Which was the case with 
Abraham, for he was called when he was ungodly, i. e. an idolater; 
and, on his believing, was freely justified : and, as all men have sin- 
ned, none can be justified by works; and therefore, justification, if it 
take place at all, must take place in behalf of the ungodly, foras- 
much as all mankind are such. Now,as Abraham’s state and mode, 
in which he was justified, are the plan and rule according to which 
God purposes to save men; and as his state was ungodly, and the 
mode of his justification was by faith in the goodness and mercy of 
God ; and this is precisely the state of Jews and Gentiles at present: 
there can be no other mode of justification than by faith in that 
Christ who is Abraham’s seed; and in whom, according to the pro- 
mise, all the nations of the earth are to be blessed. 

It is necessary to observe here, in order to prevent confusiomand 
misapprehension, that although the verb d:zasew has a variety of 
senses in the New Testament, yet here it is to be taken as implying 
‘the pardon of sin; receiving a person into the favour of God. See 
these different acceptations cited in the note on chap. i. ver. 17. and 
particularly under No. 7; It is also necessary to observe, that our 
translators render the verb a07s&o«s differently, in different parts 
of this chapter. It is readered counted, ver. 3, 5. reckoned, ver. 4, 
9, 10. imputed, ver. 6,8, 11, 22,23,and 24. Reckoned, is probably 
the best sense in all these places. ; 

Verse 6. Even as David also, &c.] David, in Psal- xxxii. 1, 2. 


“eT ae ee Ae 


"a ee 
116 ROMANS.—CHAP. IV. 


man, unto whom God *imputeth righteousness without | 
r 


works, 

7 Saying, * Blessed are they whose iniquities are for- 
given, and whose sins are covered. . ’ 

8 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute 
sin. : Min 
9 Cometh this blessedness then upon the circumcision 
only, or upon the uncircumcision also? for we say that. 
faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness. 

10 How was it then reckoned ? when he was in circumci- 


a Psa. 32. 1, 2. 4 


gives us also the true notion of this way of justification, i.e. by faith, 


without the merit of works, where he says— 

Verse 7. Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven] That is, 
the man is truly happy whose iniquities, ds avomsas, his transgres= 
sions of the law, are forgiven; for by these he was exposed to the 
most grievous punishment. JWhose sins, ds apapriat, his innume- 
rable deviations from the strict rule of truth and righteousness, are 
covered, entirely removed out of sight; and thrown into oblivion. 
See the meaning of the word sin, in the note on Gen. xiii. 13. 

Verse 8. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.} 
That man is truly happy, to whose charge God does not reckon sin : 
that is, they alone are happy who are redeemed from the curse of 
the law, and the consequence of their ungodly life, by having their 
sins freely forgiven, through the mercy of God. 

Verse 9. Cometh this blessedness—upon the cireumcision only} 
The word povey, only, is very properly supplied by our translators, 
and indeed is found in some excellent MSS. and is here quite neces- 
sary to complete the sense. The apostle’s question is very nervous. 
If this pardon, granted in this way, be essential to happiness; and 
David says it is so: then is it the privilege of the Jews exclusively ? 
This cannot be; for as it is by the mere mercy of God, through 
faith, the circumcision cannot even claim it. But if God offer it to 
the circumcision, not because they have been obedient, for they also 
have sinned, but. because of his mere mercy: then, of course, the 
same blessedness may be offered to the Gentiles who believe in the 
Lord Jesus. And this is evident; for we say, following our own 
Scriptures, that faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness : he 
had no merit, he was an idolater; but he believed in God, and his 


neem a 
faith was reckoned to him sts dsnaiocuvay, in reference to his justifi- na 


cation; he brought faith when he could not bring works ; and God 
accepted his faith in the place of obedience; and this became the 
instrumental cause of his justification. } sie 

Verse 10. How was it then reckoned?| In what circumstances: 
‘was Abraham, when this blessing was bestowed upon him? When 
he was circumcised, or before ? 


¥ 


oy 


ROMANS.—CHAP. IV. 117 


sion, or in uncircumcision ? Not in circumcision, but in 
uncircumcision. 

11 And *he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of 
the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being un- 
circumcised: that »he might be the father of. all them 
that believe, though they be not circumcised ; that righte- 
ousness might be imputed unto them also : 


" a Gen. 17. 10.—» Luke 19. 9. Ver. 12. 16. Gal. 3. 7. 


Not in circumcision, but in uncircumeision.] Faith was reckoned 
to Abraham for justification, as we read Gen. xv. 6. (where see 
the note,) but circumcision was not instituted till about fourteen or 
fifteen years after, Gen. xvii. 1, &c. for faith was reckoned to Abra- 
ham for righteousness or justification, at least one year before 
Ishmael was born; compare Gen. xv. and xvi. At Ishmael’s birth 
he was 86 years of age, Gen. xv. 16. and at the institution of cir- 
cumcision, Ishmael was 13, and Abraham 99 years old.—See Gen. 
xvii. 24, 25. and see Dr. Taylor. 

Verse 11. And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal, &c.] 
So far was obedience to the law of circumcision, from being the rea- 
son of his justification, that he not only received this justification 
before he was circumcised; but he received the sign of circumci- 
sion, as a seal of the pardon which he had before actually received. 
And thus he became the father, the great head and representative 
of all them that believe; particularly the Gentiles, who are now in 
precisely the same state in which Abraham was, when he received 
the mercy of God. Hence it appears, says Dr. Taylor, that the 
covenant established with Abraham, Gen. xvii. 2—15. is the same 
with that Gen. xii. 2,3. and xv. 5, &c. for circumcision was not a 
seal of any new grant, but of the justification and promise which 
Abraham had received before he was circumcised ; and that justifi- 
cation and promise included the Gospel covenant, in which we are 
now interested. St. Paul refers to this Galat. iii. 8. the Scripture 
foreseeing that God would justify us heathens, through faith, 
preached before the Gospel unto Abraham ; saying, In thee shall all 
nations be blessed. The whole of the apostle’s argument in this 4th 
chapter to the Romans, proves that we, believing Gentiles, are the 
seed of Abraham; to whom as well as to himself, the promise was 
made ; and that the promise made to him is the same, in effect, as 
that promise which is now made to us; consequently, it is the Abra- 
Bamic covenant in which we now stand; and any argument taken 
from the nature of that covenant, and applied to ourselves, must be 
good and valid. It is also undeniably evident from this 11th verse, 
as well as from Gen. xvii. 1—11. that circumcision was a seal or 
sign of the Gospel covenant in which we now stand. See Taylor, 

There is nothing more common in the Jewish writers than the 
words mw oth, sign; and monn chotham, seal; as signifying the 


118 ROMANS.—CHAP. IV.” 


12 And the father of circumcision to them who are not of 
the circumcision only, but who also walk in the steps of 
that faith of our father Abraham, which he had, being yet 
uncircumcised: ; ¥ \ 

13 For the promise that he shopld be the * heir of the 
world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed throughth 
law ; but through the righteousness of faith. he 

14 For, » if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is 
made void, and the promise made of none effect : 


® Gen. 17. 4. &c. Gal. 3. 29.—» Gal. 3. 18. 


mark in the flesh, by the rite of circumcision, see on Gen iy. 15. 
Sohar Genes. fol. 41. col. 161. has these words: And God set a mark 
upon Cain; this mark was the sign of the covenant of circumcision. 
Targum, Cant. iii. 8. the seal of circumcision is in your flesh; as 
Abraham was sealed in the flesh. Yaleut Rubent, fol. 64. Joseph 
did not defile the sign of the holy covenant ; i. e. he did not commit 
adultery with the wife of Potiphar. Liber Cosri, part i. c. 115. p. 
70, Circumcision is”a divine sign which God has placed on the 
member of concupiscence, to the end that we may overcome evil 
desire. Shemoth Rabba, sect. xix. fol. 118, Ye shall not eat the 
passover, unless the seal of Abraham be in your flesh. Yaleut Ru- 
beni, fol. 36, God said to Abraham, I will seal thy flesh. Sohar 
Levit. fol. 6, Abraham was sealed with the holy seal. See Schoett- 


en. 

Verse 12. And the father of circumcision] He is also the head 
and representative of all the circumcision, of all the Jews, who walk. 
in the steps of that faith; who seek for- justification by faith only, 
and not by the works of the law; for this was the faith that Abra- 
ham had before he received circumcision. So that the Jews, to be 
saved, must come under that Abrahamic covenant, in which the 
Gentiles are included. This is an unanswerable conclusion; “and 
must, on this point, for ever confound the Jews. “ 

Verse 13. For the promise that he should be the heir of the world] 
This promise intimated that he should be the medium, through 
whom the mercy of God should be communicated to the world, to 
both Jews and Gentiles; and the manner in which he was justified, 
be the rule and manner according to which all men d expect 
this blessing. Abraham is here represented as having all the world 
given to him as his inheritance; because in him all nations of the 
earth are blessed; this must therefore relate to their being all inte- 
rested in the Abrahamic covenant: and every person, now that the 
covenant is fully explained, has the privilege of claiming justification _ 
through faith, by the blood of the Lamb, in virtue of this original 

rant. y : 

5 Verse 14. For, if they which are of the law be heirs] If the Jews 
enly be heirs of the promise made to Abraham, and that on the 


as “<r 


ROMANS.—CHAP. IV. 119 


15 Because * the law worketh wrath ; for where no law 
is, there ig no transgression. 

16 Therefore it zs of faith, that 2t might be © by grace ; 
© to the end the promise migat be sure to all the seed ; 
not to that’only which is of the law, but to that also which 
is of the faith of Abraham ; 4 who is the father of us all, 


Fr 
- > 


ewe 
Ch. 3.20. & 5. 13, 0. &7.8,10, 11. 1 Cor. 15. 56. 2 Cor. 3.7, 9. Gal. 3. 10,19. 
> 1 John’3. 4.—> Ch. 3. 24.—¢ Gel. 3,'22.—4 Isai. 51, 2. Ch. 9. 8. 


ground of prior obedience to the law; then fuith is made void ; is 
entirely useless; and the promise, which was made to faith, is made 
of none effect. 

Verse 15. Because the law worketh wrath] For law, vopoc, any 
law, or rule_of duty. No law. makes provision for the exercise of 
mercy, for it worketh wrath: opyyv, punishment for the disobedient. 
Law necessarily subjects the transgressor to punishment; for where 
no law is, where no rule of duty is enacted and acknowledged, there 
is no transgression: and, where there is no transgression, there can 
be no punishment ; for there is no law to enforce it. But the Jews 
have a law which they have broken; and now they are exposed to 
the penal sanctions of that law: avd if the promises of pardon, 
without the works of the law, do not extend to them, they must be 
finally miserable; because they have a!! broken the law, and the 
law exacts punishment. This was a home stroke ; aud the argument 
is unanswerable, 

Verse 16. Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace} 
On this account the promise is mercifully grounded, not on obedi- 

. ence to a law, but on the infinite goodness of God: and thus the 
promise is sure to all the seed, to all, both Jews and Gentiles, who, 
believing in Christ Jesus, have a right to all the blessings contained 
in the Abrahamic covenant. All the seed necessarily comprehends 
all mankind. Of the Gentiles there can be no doubt, for the pro- 
mise was given to Abraham while he was a Gentile; and the salva- 
tion of the Jews may be inferred, because they all sprang from him, 

he became an heir of the righteousness or justification which is 
received by faith; for he is the father of us all, both Jews and Gen- 
tiles. Dr. Taylor has an excellent note on this verse. ‘“ Here,’’ 
says he, “ it should be well obzerved that faith and grace do mutu- 
ally and necessarily infer each other. For the grace and favour of 
God, in its own vature, requires faith in us; and faith, on our part, 
in its own nature, supposes the grace or favour of God. If any 
blessing is the gift of God, in order to influence our temper and be- 
haviour; then, in the very nature of things, it is necessary that we 
be sensible of this blessing, and persuaded of the grace of God that 
bestows it; otherwise it is not posible we should improve it. On 
the other hand, if faith in the goodness of God with regard to any 
blessing, is the principle of our religious hopes and action; then it 
follows that the blessing is not due in strict justice, nor on the foot of 


Rae 
120 ROMANS. —CHAP. “av: 


17 (As it is written, *1 have made thee a father of many 
nations,) » before him whom he believed, even God, © who 
quickeneth the dead, and calleth those a things which be 
not as though they were. mn 

18 Who, against hope, believed in hope, that he might 
become the father of many nations, according to that which 
was spoken, © So shall thy seed be. 

19 And being not weak in faith, ‘ he colieideredl not his 
own body now dead, when he was about one hundred 
years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah’s womb : 


@ Gen. 17. 5.—b Or, like unto him.—c Ch. 8. 11. Eph. 2. 1, 5.—4 Ch, 9. 26, 1 Gor. 
1. 28. 1 Pet. 2. 10.—e Gen. 15, 5.—f Gen. 17. 17. & 18. ‘in. Hebr. 11. 11, 12 


law, but that it is the free gift of divine goodness, If the promise to 
Abraham and his seed be of faith on their part, then it is of grace on 
the part of God. And it is of faith, that it might be by grace: grace 
being the mere good will of the donor, is free and open to all whom 
he chooses to make the objects of it; and the divine wisdom ap- 
pointed faith to be the condition of the promise; because faith is, on 
our part, the most simple principle, bearing an exact correspondence 
to grace, and reaching as far as that can extend; that so the happy 
effects of the promise might extend far and wide, take in the largest 
compass, and be confined to no condition, but what is merely neces- 
sary, in the nature of things.?” 

Verse 17. As it is written, I have made thee a father] That Abra- 
ham’s being a father of many nations, has relation to the covenant of 
God made with him, may be seen, Gen. xvii. 4; 5. Behold, my cove- 
nant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations ; neither 
shall thy name any more be ealled Abram ; but thy name shall be called 
Abraham, for a father of many nations have I made thee, i. e. he was 
constituted the head of many nations by virtue of the covenant which 
God made then with him. 

God, who quickeneth the dead, &c.| God is the most proper ob- 
ject of trust and dependance ; for being almighty, etern , and un- 
changeable, he can even raise the dead to life ; and call aa things 
which be not, as though they were. He is the Creator, he gave being 
when there was none: he can as infallibly assure the existence of 
those things which are not, as if they were already actually i in being. 
And on this account, he can never fail of accomplishing whatsoever 
he has promised. 

Verse 18. Who, against hope, believed in hope] The faith of Abra- 
ham bore an exact correspondence to the power and never-failing 
faithfulness of God: for though, in the ordinary course of things, 
he had not the best foundation of hope, yet he believed that he 
should be the father of many nations, according to that which was 
spoken: namely, that his posterity should be like een stars of stair 
for multitude, and like the dust of the earth. nt 


ROMANS.—CHAP. IV. 121 


*20 He staggered not at the promise of God through un- 
belief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God. 

21 And being fully persuaded that, what he had promi- 
sed, * he was able also.to perform. 

22 And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness. 

23° Now, "it was not written for his sake alone, that it 
was imputed to him ; 


a Psa. 115. 3.. Luke 1. 37, 45. Hebr. 11. 19.—b Ch. 15. 4, 1 Cor. 10. 6, 11. 


Verse 19. He considered not his own body now dead| He showed 
at once the correctness and energy of his faith: God cannot lie: 
Abraham can believe. It is true, that, according to the course of 
nature, he and Sarah are so old that they cannot have children; but 
God is almighty, and can do whatsoever he will, and will fulfil his 
promise. This was certainly a wonderful degree of faith; as the 
promise stated that it was in his posterity that all the nations of the 
earth were to be blessed: that he had,-as yet, no child by Sarah; 
that he was 100 years old; that Sarah was 90; and that, added to 
the utter improbability of her bearing at that age, she had ever 
been barren before. All these were so many reasons why he should 

‘not credit the promise; yet he believed: therefore it might be well 
said, ver. 20. that he staggered not at the promise, though every thing 
was unnatural and improbable; but he was strong in faith, and by 
this almost inimitable cohfidence, gave glory to God. It was to God’s 
honour, that his servant put such unlimited confidence in him; and 
he put this confidence in him on the rational ground that God was 
fully able to perform what he had promised. : 

Verse 21. And being fully persuaded] Maneogogndetc, his measure, 
his soul was full of confidence, that the truth of God bound him to 
fulfil his promise ; and his power enabled him to do it. 

Verse 22. And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness. | 
This verse is thus paraphrased by Dr. Taylor. “For which reason 
God was graciously pleased to place his faith to his account; and to 
allow his fiducial reliance upon the divine goodness, power, and 
faithfulness, for a title to the divine -blessing, which, otherwise, 
having been an idolater, he had no right to.” 

' Abraham’s strong faith in the promise of the coming Saviour, for 
this was essential to his faith, was reckoned to him for justification: 
for it is not said that any righteousness, either his own, or that of 
another, was imputed or reckoned to him for justification; but 2, 
i.e. his faith in God. His faith was fully persuaded of the most mer- 
ciful intentions of God’s goodness;,and this, which, in‘ effect, laid 
hold on Jesus Christ, the future Savibur, was the means of his justi- 
fication ; being reckoned unto him in the place of personal righteous- 
ness, beeause it laid hold on the merit of Him who died to make an 
atonement for our offences, and rose again for our justification. 

Verse 23. Now, it was not writien for his sake alone] The fact of 
Abraham's believing and receiving salvation through that faith, is 

11 fy 


‘ 


% 
Nh 
4 oe 


128 ROMANS. CHAP, Ww. 


24 But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we 
believe * on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the. 
dead ; 

25 > Who was delivered for our algal and © was raised 
again for our justification. 


a Acts 2. 24. & 13. 30.—> Isai. 53. 5,6. Ch. 3. 25. & 5.6. & 8, 32. 2Cor. 5,21. 
Gal. 1.4, 1Pet. 2.24. & 3.18. Heb. 9, 28.—c 1 Cor. 15. 17. 1 Pet. 1. 21. 


a Dea eS os a ee PNT uc 
not recorded as a mere circumstance in the patriafoh’s life, intended 
to do him honour: see below. 

Verse 24. But for us also] The mention of this circumstance has 
a much more extensive design than merely to honour Abraham. It 
is recorded as the model, ‘according to which God will save both - 
Jews and Gentiles: indeed there can be no other way of salvation ; 
as all have sinned, all must either be saved by faith through Christ 
Jesus, or finally perish. If God, therefore, will our salvation, it must 
be by faith; and faith contemplates his promise, and his promise 
comprehends the Son of his love. 

Verse 25. Who was delivered for our offences} Who was delivered 
up to death as a sacrifice for our sins; for in what other way, or for 
what other purpose, could He who is innocence itself, be delivered 
for our offences. 

And was raised again for our justification.| He was raised that 
we might have the fullest assurance that the death of Christ had 
accomplished the end for which it took place; viz. our reconcilia- 
tion to God, and giving us a title to that eternal life, into which he 
has entered and taken with him our human nature, as the first-fruits 
of the’resurrection of mankind. 


Hie 

1, From a careful examination of the divine oracles, it appears 
that the death of Christ was an atonement or expiation for the sin of - 
the world; For him hath God set forth to be a PROPITIATION through 
FAITH i HIS BLOOD, chap. iii. 25. For, when we were yet without 
strength, in due time, Christ DIED FoR the UNGODLY, chap. v. 6. 
And when we were ENEMIES, we were RECONCILED to God by 
the DEATH of his Son, ver. 10. In whom we have REDEMPTION 
THROUGH HIS BLOOD, the FORGIVENESS of sins, Eph.i. 7. Christ — 
hath loved us, und GIVEN HIMSELF FOR US a” OFFERING and a SA- 
cRIFICE to God for a sweet-smelling savour, ibid. chap. vy. 2. In 
whom we have REDEMPTION THROUGH HIS BLOOD, the FORGIVE- 
NEss of sins; Col. i. 14. And having made PEACE THROUGH the 
BLOOD of his cross. in the BopY of HIS FLESH through DEATH, 
ibid. ver. 20,22. Who Gave © IMSELF a RANSOM for ail, 1 Tim, 
ii. 6. Who GavE HIMSELF FoR Us, that he might REDEEM Us 
all iniquity, Tit. ii. 14, By which will we are sanctified, through the 
OFFERING of the Bopy of Jesus Christ, Hebr. x. 14. So Christ was 
once ie TO BEAR THE SINS of many, Hebr. ix. 28. See also 
Eph. ii. 13, 16. 1 Pet. i. 18, 19. Rey. v, 9. But it would be tran- 

* 


hi 


ROMANS.—CHAP. IV. 128 


scribing a very considerable part of the New Testament, to set down 
- all the texts that refer to this most important and glorious truth. 

2. And as his death was an atonement for our sins, so his resurrec- 
tion was the proof and pledge of our eternal life. See 1 Cor. xv. 17. 
1 Pet. i.3. Eph.i. 13, 14, &c. &c. 

3. The doctrine of justification by faith, which is so nobly proved 
in the preceding chapter, is one of the grandest displays of the mercy 
of God to mankind. It is so very plain that all may comprehend it ; 
and so free, that all may attain it. What more simple than this? 
Thou art a sinnér; in consequence, condemned to perdition; and 
utterly unable to save thy own soul. ijl are in the same state with 
thyself, and no man can give a ransom for the soul of his neighbour. 
God, in his mercy, has provided a Saviour for thee. As thy life was 
forfeited to death, because of thy transgressions, Jesus Christ has re- 
deemed thy life, by giving up his own ; he died in thy stead, and has 
made an atonement to God for thy transgressiuns; and offers thee 
the pardon he has thus purchased, on the simple condition, that thou 
believe that his death is a sufficient sacrifice, ransom, and oblation 
for thy sin; and that thou bring it as such, by confident faith, to the 
throne of God, and plead it in thy own behalf there. When thou 
dost so, thy faith in that sacrifice shall be imputed to thee for right- 
eousuess ; i. e. it shall be the means of receiving that salvation which 
Christ has bought by his blood. 

4. The doctrine of the imputed righteousness of Christ, as held by 
many, will not be readily found in this chapter, where it has been 
supposed to exist in all its proofs. It is repeatedly said that faith is 
imputed for righteousness; but in no place here, that Christ’s obedi- 
ence to the moral law is imputed to any man. The truth is, the 
moral law was broken, and did not now require obedience; it re- 
quired this before it was broken; but, after it was broken, it required 
death. Wither the sinner must die, or some one in his stead: but 
there was none whose death could have been an equivalent for the 
transgressions of the world, but Jesus Curist. Jesus therefore 
died for man; and it is through his blood, the merit of his passion 
and death, that we have redemption: and not by his obedience to 
the moral law in our stead. Our salvation was obtained at a much 
higher price. Jesus could not but be righteous and obedient ; this 
is consequent on the immaculate purity of his nature: but his death 

/ was not a necessary consequent. As the law of God can claim only 
the death of a transgressor, for, such only forfeit their right to life : 
it is the greatest miracle of all, that Christ could die, whose life was 
never forfeited. Here we see the indescribable demerit of sin, that 
it required such a death; and here we see the stupendous mercy of 
God in providing the sacrifice required. It is therefore, by Jesus 
Christ’s death, or obedience unto death, that we are saved, and not 
es his fulfilling any moral law. That he fulfilled the moral law, we 
Know; without which he could not have been qualified to be our 

Mediator; but we must take heed lest we attribute that to an obe- 

dience (which was the necessary consequence of his immaculate na- 
ture,) which belongs to his passion and death, These were free-will 


% 


CP ae ee 
124 ROMANS.—CHAP. V. 


offerings of eternal goodness, and not even a necessary consequence 
of his incarnation. The contrary doctrine is supremely dangerous. 

5. This doctrine, of the imputed righteousness of Christ, is capa- 
ble of great abuse. To say that Christ’s personal righteousness is 
imputed to every true believer, is not scriptural: to say that he has 
fulfilled all righteousness for us, or in our stead, if by this is meant 
his fulfilment-of all moral duties, is neither scriptural nor true. That 
he has died in our stead, is a great, glorious, and scriptural truth: 
that there is no redemption but through his blood, is asserted, beyond 
all contradiction, in the oracles of God. But there are a multitude 
of duties which the moral law requires, which Christ never fulfilled 
in our stead, and never could. We have various duties of a domes- 
tic kind which belong solely to ourselves, in the relation of parents, 
husbands, wives, servants, &c. in which relations Christ never stood. 
He has fulfilled none of these duties for us; but he furnishes grace 
to every true believer to fulfil them to God’s glory, the edification of 
his neighbour, and his own eternal profit. The salvation which we 
receive from God’s free mercy, through Christ, binds us to live ina 
strict conformity to the moral law; that law which prescribes our 
manners, and the spirit by which they should be regulated; and in 
which they should be performed. He who lives not in the due per- 
formance of every Christian duty, whatever faith he may profess, is 
either a vile hypocrite, or a scandalous Antinomian. : 


CHAPTER V. 


The effects of justification by faith, peace with God, 1. ‘The joyous hope of 
eternal glory, 2. Glorying in tribulation, 3. And ecining thereby patience, 
experience, and hope, 4. And having the love of God shed abroad in the 
heart, by the Holy Spirit, 5. The state of the world when Christ died for 
it, 6—10. Jesus Christ is an atonement, 11. Sin and death entered into 
the world by Adam’s transgression, and all became guilty before God, 
12—14. God's grace in sending Christ into the world to save fallen man, 
‘15—19. The law is brought in to show the exceeding sinfulness of sin, 20. 
The grace of Christ is to be as extensive in its influences and reign, as sin 
has been in its enslaving and destructive nature, 21. 


HEREFORE, * being justified by faith, we have 
> peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ : 


a Isai. 32.17. John 16.33. Ch. 3. 28, 30.—b Eph. 2.14, Col. 1. 20. 


n NOTES ON CHAPTER V. a G 
In the former chapter, the apostle, having proved that the believ- 
ing Gentiles are justified in the same way with Abraham, and are, in 
fact, his seed, included with him in the promise and covenant; he 
judged this a proper place, as the Jews built all their glorying upon 
the Abrahamic covenant, to produce some of the chief of those pri- 
vileges and-blessings in which the Christian Gentile can glory, in 
consequence of his justification by faith. And he produces three 
particulars which, above all others, were adapted to this purpose. 


iio >. . » litimaalmlalg 5 . 
ROMANS —CHAP V. 125 


ee en Ere 
hy te kom rejoice im hope of the glory of 


a 
2 Joba 16. 9. & Epb- 2. 19. &3. Hebe. 1 12—> 1 Cor. 155. L— Hebe. 3. 6- 


state; wherem true Sartre bemmesee 
then, and redoandiagy if daly eolersood and improved te 
their honour > P- 


Verse 1. et ee eee el The apostle takes it 

for granted that he bas proved that justification is by faith: and that 

the Gentiles have an equal title with the Jews, to salvation by faith. 

en ee produced ia the hearts of 

by this doctrme. We are justified, have all 

out tn pardons by Cahn the strani coe for, beme sin- 
righteousness plead. 


lay if our own conscrences: now, having our sin forgives, we have 
peace in our hearts : feeling that all oar guilt is taken away. Peace 


Verse 2. By whom alis] We are cot caly imdebted to our Lord 
Jesus Christ for the free and full pardor which we heve received ; 
bat our continuance im a jastified state depends upon his gracious m- 
fluence imour hearts; and his intercessico Fetore the throne of God. 

_ We have access] Ugerzyaym seyrzcus, we have received this 
access. It was only throazh Corist that we could at first approach 
God ; and it is only through him that the privilege i: continued to - 
us. ‘Ae thes access to Gedy or introduction to the Divine presence, 
‘is to be considered a: a lasting privileze. We are set broaght to Gad 

of an interview, bat to remaim with him ; to be lis 
thee ee! ae 


” ‘Into this grace] tar _emalemeras. casa 


7 


iii a Oe eee) ee 
126 ROMANS.—CHAP. V. 


3 And not only so, but * we ere itvitellvadshions ‘also : 
» knowing that tribulation worketh patience ; 
4 © And patience, experience ; and experience, hope : Z 


a Matt.5. 11,12. Acts5. 41. 2Cor. 12.10. Phil. 2.17. James 1. 2,12) 1Pet. 
3. 14,—b James 1. 3.—¢ Jumes 1. 12. 


Wherein we signi Having firm footing, and a just title, through 
the blood of the Lamb, to the full salvation of God. 

And rejoice]. Have solid happiness, from: we evidence we have of 
our acceptance’ with Him. 

In hope of the glory of God] Having our sins remitted, and our 
souls adopted into the heavenly family, we are become heirs; for if 
children, then heirs, Gal. iv. 7. and that glory of God is now become 
our. endless inheritance. While the Jews boast of their external 
privileges; that they have the temple of God among them; that 
their priests have an entrance to God as their representatives, car- 
rying before the mercy-seat the blood of their offered victims, we 
exult in being introduced by Jesus Christ to the Divine presence ; 
his blood having been shed and sprinkled for this purpose ; and thus 
we have spiritually and essentially, all that these Jewish rites, &c. 

signified. We are in the peace of God; and we are happy in the 
enjoyment of that peace; and have a blessed foretaste of eternal 
glory. Thus, we have heaven upon earth, and the ineffable glories 
of God in prospect. 

Verse 3. And not only so] We are not only happy from being in 
this.state of communion with our God, and the paneer? of being 
eternally with him ;— 

But we glory in tribulations also] All the sufferings we endure for 
the testimony of our Lord, are so sanctified to us by his grace, that — 
they become powerful instruments of i increasing our happiness. 

Tribulation worketh patience] Taropovnv, endurance under trials, 
without sustaining loss or deterioration. It is a metaphor taken from 
refining metals. "We do not speak thus from any sudden raptures, 
or extraordinary sensations we may have of spiritual joy: for we 
find that the tribulations through which we pass are the means of 
exercising and increasing our patience, our meek forbearance of 
injuries received, or persecutions experienced, on account of the 
Gospel. 

Verse 4. And patience, experience] Aoxtwny, full proof by trial, 
of the truth of our religion, the solidity of our Christian state, and 
the faithfulness of our God. In such eases we have the opportunity — 
of putting our religion to the test; and, by every such test, it re~ 
ceives the deeper sterling stamp. The apostle uses here also a 
metaphor, taken from the purifying, refining, and testing of silver 
and gold. 

Experience, hope], For we thus calculate, that he who has sup- 
ported us in the past, will support us in those which may yet come; 
and as we have received so much spiritual profiting by means of the 


ROMANS.—CHAP. V. 127 


5 ® And hope maketh not ashamed ;_» because the love of 
God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which 
is given unto.us.. ° 2 

6 For when we.were yet without strength, ¢ in due time 
4 Christ died for the ungodly. 


a 
a Phil. 1.20.—b 2 Cor. 1. 22. Gal. 4.6. Eph. 1. 13, 14.—c Or, according to the time. 
Gal. 4. 4.—d Ver. 8. @h, 4. 25. 


sufferings through which we have already passed, we may profit 

equally by those which are yet to come; and this hope prevents us 

a dreading coming trials; we receive them as means of grace, and 
nd that a!l things work together for good, to them that love God. 

Verse 5. And hope maketh not ashamed] A hope that is not ration- 

‘ally founded, will have its expectation cut off; and then shame and 
confusion will be the portion of its possessor. But our hope is of a 
different kind: it is founded on the goodness and truth of God; and 
our religious experience shows us that we have not misapplied it; 
nor exercised it on wrong or improper objects. 

Because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts| We have 
the most solid and convincing testimony of God’s love to us, by that 
measure of it which he has communicated to our hearts. There, 
cxxexuras, it is poured out, and diffused abroad ;. filling, quickening, 
and invigorating all our powers and faculties. This love is the spring 
of all our actions; it is the motive of our obedience; the principle 
through which we love God: we love him because he first loved us: 
and we love him with a love worthy of himself, because it springs 
from him: it is his own; and every flame that rises from this pure 
and vigorous fire, must be pleasing in his sight : it consumes what is 
unholy ; refines every passion and appetite ; sublimes the whole, and 
assimilates all to itself. And we know that this is the love of God; 
it differs widely from all that is earthly and sensual. The Holy 
Ghost comes with it; by his energy it is diffused, and pervades every 
part; and, by his light, we discover what it is; and know the state 
of grace in which we stand. Thus we are furnished to every good 
word and work: have produced in us the mind that was in Christ; 
are enabled to obey the pure law of our God in its spiritual sense, 
by toving hint with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength : and our 
neighbour, any and every soul of man, as ourselves. This is, or 
ought to be, the common experience of every genuine believer: but, 
in addition to this, the primitive Christians had, sometimes, the mi- 
raculous gilts of the Holy Spirit-—These were then needful: and, 
were they needful now, they would be again communicated. 

Verse 6. For when we were yet without strength] The apostle 
having pointed out the glorious state of the believing Gentiles, takes 
occasion to contrast this with their former state ; and the means by 
which they were redeemed fromit. ‘Their former state he points 
out in four particulars ; which may be applied to men in general. 

I. They were acfevers, without sirengih: in a weak, dying state : 


ar 


aia 


128 d ROMANS.—CHAP. V. 

7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: * yet 
peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die- 
TT 

a Luke 6.33, Col 1.134%. = 


neither able to resist sin, nor do any good; utterly devoid of power 
to extricate themselves from the misery of their situa 

Il. They were aceCus, ungodly: without either the worship or 
knowledge of the true God? they had not God in them; and, conse- 
quently, were not partakers of the Divine nature: Satan lived in, 
ruled, and enslaved their hearts. 

(IL. They were ezaprwacz, sinners, ver. 8. aiming at happiness, but 
constantly miss:ng the mark, which is the ideal meaning of the He- 
brew non chata; and the Greek azapraya. See this explained Gen. 
xiii. 13. And in missing the mark, they deviated from the right way ; 
walked ic the wrong way; trespassed, in thus deviating; aud, by 
breaking the commandments of God, not only missed the mark of 
felicity, but exposed themselves to éverlasting misery. 

IV. They were expos, enemies, ver. 10. from €x9o¢, hatred, enmity, 
persons who hated God, and boliness; and acied im continual hosti- 
lity to both. What a gradation is here! 1. In our fall from God, 
our first apparent state is, that we are without strength; have lost 
our principle of spiritual power, by having lost the image of God, 
righteousness and true holiness, in which we were created. 2. We 
are ungodly, having lost our strength to do good; we have also lost 
all power to worship God aright. The mind which was made for - 
God, is no longer his residence. 3. We are sinners; feeling we have 
lost our centre of rest, and our happiness, we go about seeking rest, 
but find none: what we have lost in losing God, we seek iu earthly 
things; and thus are continually missing the mark, and multiplying 
transgressions against our Maker. 4. We are enemies: sin indul- 
ged, increases in strength ; evil acts engender fixed and rooted ha- 
bits ; the mind, every where poisoned with sin, increases in averse- 
ness from good; and mere aversion produces enmity; and enmity, 


_ acts of hostility, fell cruelty, &c. So that the enemy of God hates his 
_’ Maker and his service, is cruel to his fellow-creatures; ‘a foe to God, 


was ne’er true friend to man:’’ and even torments his own soul ! 
Though every man brings into the world the seeds of all these evils ; 
yet, it is only by growing up in him, that they acquire their perfec- 
tion. Nemo repenié fuit turpissimus, no man becomes a profligate at 
-once; he arrives at it by slow degrees; and the speed he makes is 
proportioned to his circumstances ; means of gratifying sinful passions, 
evil education, bad company, &c. &c. These make a great diver- 
sity in the moral states of men: all have the same seeds of evil, nemo 
sine vitiis nascifur, all come defiled into the world; but all have not 
the same opportunities of cultivating these seeds. Besides, as God’s 
Spirit is continually convincing the world of sin, righteousness, and 
judgment ; and the ministers of God are seconding its influence with 
their pious exhortations: as the Bible is in almost every house; and 
is less or more heard or read by almost every person, these evil seeds 


. 


ROMANS—CHAP. V. 129 


8 But *God commendeth his love toward us, in that, 
while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 


a John 3. 16. & 15. 13. 1 Pet. 3. 18. 1 John 3, 16. & 4. 9, 10. 


are receiving continual blasts and checks, so that, in many cases, they 
have not avigorous growth. “These causes make the principal moral 
differences that we find among men; though, in evil propensities, 
they are all radically the same. 

That all the preceding characters are applied by some learned 
men to the Gentiles, exclusively as such, I am well aware ; and that 
they may be all applied to them in a national point of view, there 
can be little doubt. But there are too many correspondences be- 
tween the state of the modern Gentiles and that of the ancient Gen- 
tiles, to justify the propriety of applying the whole as fully to the 
former as to the latter. Indeed the four particulars already explain- 
ed, point out the natural and practical state of every. human being, 
previously to his regeneration by the grace and Spirit of God. 

In due time Christ died for the ungodly| This due or proper time, | 
will appear in the following particulars :—1. Christ was manifested 
in the flesh when the world needed him most—2. When the powers 
of the human mind had been cultivated to the utmost, both in 
Greece and Rome; and had made every possible effort, but all in 
vain, to find out some efficient scheme of happimess—3. When the 
Jews were in the lowest state of corruption, and had the greatest 
need of the promised Deliverer—4. When the fulness of the time 
came, foretold by the prophets—5. When both Jews and Gentiles, 
the one from their jealousy, the other from their learning, were best 
qualified to detect imposture and to ascertain fact—6. In a word, 
Christ came when his advent was most likely to promote its great 
object, glory to God in the highest ; and peace and good will among 
men. And the success that attended the preaching of Christ and 
his apostles, together with the wide and rapid spread of the Gospel, 
all prove that it was the due time, xara xaipoy, the proper seasop: 


and that Divine wisdom was justified in fixing upon that time in pre- 
. ¥ arty 


ference to all others. 

Died for the ungodly—Yrep accCav amebave, He died instead of the 
ungodly, see also ver. 8. so Luke xxii. 19. The body of Christ, ro 
umep umov didonevoy, which was given for you; i. e. the life that was 
laid down in your stead. -In this way the preposition, uzep, is used 
by the best Greek writers. 

Verse 7. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die] The Jews 
divide men, as to their moral character, into four classes. First, 
those who say, ‘“‘ What is mine is my own; and what is thine, is thy 
own.’ These may be considered the just, who render to every 


man his due; or rather, they who neither give nor take. The | 


second class is made up of those who say, ‘* What is mine is thine ; 
and what is thine is mine.” These are they who accommodate 
each other; who borrow and lend. The third class is composed of 


' 


i ins eo ee 
ry , 


130 ROMANS.—CHAP. V. | 
9 Much more then, being now justified * by his blood, 
we shall be saved ’ from wrath through him, = * 
10 For © if, when we were enemies, 4 we were recon- 


ciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being 
reconciled, we shall be saved ° by his life. Ly 


2 Ch. 3. 25. Eph. 2. 13. Heb. 9. 14, 1 John 1. 7.—> Ch. 1,18. 1 Thess. 1. 10.—e Ch. 8. 22. 
—d 2 Cor. 5. 18. 19. Eph. 2. 16. Col. 1. 20, 21.—e John 5. 26. & 14. 19, 2 Cor. 4.10, 11. 


those who say, ‘‘ What is mine is thine; and what is thine, let it be 
thine.” These are the pious, or good, who give up all for the 
benefit of their ueighbour. The fourth class are those who say, 
** What is thine, is mime; and what is thine shall be mine.” These 
are the impious, who take all, and give nothing. Now, for one of 
the first class, who would die? There is nothing amiable in his life 
or conduct that would so endear him to any man, as to induce him 
to risque his life to save such a person. 

Peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.} That 
is, for one of the third class, who gives all he has for the good of 
others. This is the truly benevolent man, whose life is devoted to 
the public good: for such a person, peradyénture, some who have 
had their lives perhaps preserved by his bounty, would even dare to 
die: but such cages. may be considered merely as possible: they 

_ exist, it is true, im romance: and we find a few rare instances of 
friends exposing themselves to death for their friends. See the case 
of Jonathan and David; Damon and Pythias, Val. Max. lib. 4. c. 7. 
And our Lord says, John x. 11, 12, Greater love hath no man than 
this, that a man lay down his life for his friend. This is the utmost 
we can expect among men. wha 

Verse 8. But Gud commendeth his love, &e.] uvisues, God hath 
set this act of infinite mercy in the most coaspicuous light, so as to 
recommend it to the notice and admiration of all. 

While we were yet sinners] We were neither righteous nor good: 
but impious and wicked.—See the preceding verse, and see the note 
on verse 6. 

Verse 9. Much more then, being now justified] If Jesus Christ, in 
his endless compassion toward us, gave his life for ours, while we 
Were yet enemies; being now justified by his blood, by his death on 
the cross; and thus reconciled to God, we shall be saved from 
wrath, from punishment for past transgressions, through him, by 
what he has thus suffered for us. : 

Verse 10. Fur if, when we were enemies] See under ver. 6. 

We were reconciled} The enmity existing before, rendered the 
reconciliation necessary. In every human heart there is a meastre 
of enmity to holiness ; and, consequently, to the Author of it. Men 
seldom suspect this; for one property of sin is, to blind the under- 
standing, so that men do not know their own state. 

We shail be saved by his life.] For, as he died for our sins, so he 
Fose again for our justification: and his resurrection to life, is the 


*“ciled to him: the enmity is removed from our souls: and He, for 


ROMANS.—CHAP. V. 131 
11 And not only so, but we also * joy in God through our 
Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the 


> atonement. : 
12 Wherefore, as “by one man sin entered into the 


a. a as ase a alo 
aCh. 2. 17. & 3. 29,30. Gal. 4. 9.—b Or, reconciliation, ver. 10. 2 Cor. 5. 18, 19.— 
¢Gen. 3.6. 1 Cor. 15. 21. 


grand proof that he has accomplished whatever he had purposed in 
reference to the salvation of man. 2. This may be also understood 
of his life of intercession : for it is written, He ever liveth to make in- 
tercessions for us, Hebr. vii. 25. Through this life of intercession at 
the right hand of God, we are spared and blessed. 3. And it will 
not be amiss to consider that, as our salvation implies the renova~ 
tion of our nature, and our being restored to the image of God, so 
eabuooueda ty ty Con avtov, may be rendered we shall be saved 1n 
his life ; for, | suppose, it is pretty generally agreed that the life of 
God in the soul of man, is essential to its salvation. 4. The example 
also of the life of Christ, is a means of salvation. He hath left us an 
example that we should follow his steps ; and he that followeth him, 
shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life, John 
viii, 13. 

Verse 11. We also joy (xavxmmevor, we exult, or glory) in God, 
&c.] We now feel that God 1s reconciled to us, and we are recon- 


Christ's sake, through whom we have received the atonement, z«- 
rearaynr, the reconciliation, has remitted the wrath, the punishment 
which we deserved: and now, through this reconciliation, we ex- 
pect an eternal glory. . 

It was certainly improper to translate zataarayn here, by atone- 
ment, instead of reconciliation ; as nara2rxracoa, signifies to reconcile, 
and is so rendered by our translators in all the places where it 
occurs. It does not mean the atonement here, as we generally un- 
derstand that word, viz. the sacrificial death of Christ; but rather 
the effect of that atonement, the removal of the enmity, and by this, 
the change cf our condition and state; from «2zta, intensive, and 
aaaagow, to change; the thorough change of our state from enmity 
to friendship. God is reconciled to us, and we are reconciled to 
him by the death of his Son; and thus there is a glorious change 
from enmity to friendship; and we can exult in God through our 
Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have received this reconciliation. 
Though boasting is forbidden to a Jew, because his is a false confi- 
dence; yet boasting is enjoined to a Christian ; to one reconciled to 
God: for, his boasting is only in that reconciliation, and the endless 
mercy by which it was procured. So, he that glorieth, boasteth, 
taust glory in the Lord. 

Verse 12. Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world} 
From this verse to the conclusion of the chapter, the apostle produ- 
ces a strong argument to prove, that as all mankind stood in need of 


a 
ee 


reg Ba de tial Tee 


. 


132 ROMANS —CHAR, Vs 


world, and * death by sin; and so death passed on - 


men, » for that all haye sinned : 
a Gen. 2. 17, Ch. 6.23. 1 Cor. 15, 21,—b Or, in whom. 


the grace of God in Chfist, to redeem them from their sins; so this 
grace has been afforded equally to all, both Jéws and Gentiles. 

Dr. Taylor has given the following analysis of the apostle’s mode 
of argumentation. The argument stands thus :—‘* The connect 
ces of Christ’s obedience extend as far as the consequence of Adam)s 
disobedience. The consequences of Adam’s disobedience extend to 
all mankind; and therefore, so do the consequences of Christ’s obe- 
dience. Now, if the Jews will not allow the Gentiles any interest 
in Abraham, as not being naturally descended from him; yet they 
must own that the Gentiles are the descendants of Adam, as well as 
themselves: and being all equally involved in the. consequences of 
his sin, from which,’’ (as far as the death of the body is concerned;) 
‘they shall all equally be released at the resurrection, through the 
free gift of God, therefore they could not deny the Gentiles a share 
in all the other blessings included in the same gift.’’ 

This argument, besides proving the main point, goes to show—1. 
That the grace of God in the Gospel abounds beyond, or very far 
exceeds, the mere reversing of the sufferings brought upon mankind 
by Adam’s one offence ; as it bestows a vast surplusage of blessings 
which have no relation to that offence, but to the many offences ,” 
which mankind have committed ; and to the exuberance of the Divine 
grace. 2. To show how justly the Divine grace is founded on thé 
obedience of Christ; in correspondence to the dispensation Adam 
was under, and to the consequences of his disobedience: if this diso- 
bedience involved all mankind in death, it is proper that the obe- 
dience of Christ should be the cause not only of reversing that death 
to all mankind, but also of other blessings which God should see fit, 
{through him,) to bestow on the world. “3. It serves to explain, and 
set ina clear view, the difference between the law and grace. It 
was the law, which, for Adam’s one transgression, subjected him 
and his posterity, as included in him when he transgressed, to death, 
without hopes of a revival. It is grace which restores all men to 
life at the resurrection; and over and above that, has provided a 
gracious dispensation for the pardon of their sins; for acing them 
to obedience; for guarding them against temptation 3 supplying 
them with strength and comfort ; and “for advancing them to eternal 
life. This would give the attentive Jew a just notion of the law, 
which himself was under; and under which he was desirous of 
bringing the Gentiles. 

The order in which the apostle handles this argument is this :—1. 
He affirms that death passed upon all men, by ‘Adam’s one trans- 
gression, ver. 12. 2. He proves this, ver. 13,14. 3, He affirms 
there is a correspondence between Adam and Christ ; or between 
the wapamrwe, offence; and the xapioua, free gift, ver. 14, 4. 


ROMANS.—CHAP. V 133 


13 (For until the law, sin was in the world: but @sin is 
not imputed when there is no law. 


= 


2Ch. 4.15. 1 John 3. 4. 


This correspondence, so far as the two opposite parts answer to each 
other, is justly expressed, ver. 18. and 19, and there we have the main 
er fundamental position of the apostle’s argument, in relation to the 
point which he has been arguing from the beginning of the epistle = 
namely, the extensiveness of the grace of the Gospel, that it actually 
reaches to ali men, and is not confined to the Jews. 5. But before he 
laid down this position, it was necessary that he should show that the 
correspondence between Adam and Christ, or between the offence 
and the gift, is not to be confined strictly to the bounds specified in the 
position, as if the gift reached no further than the consequences of 
the offence ; when in reality it extends vastly beyond them, ver. 15, 
16, 17. 6. Having settled these points, as previously necessary to 
clear his fundamental position, and fit to his argument, he then lays 
down that position in a diversified manner of speech, ver. 18, 19. just 
as in 1 Cor. xy. 20, 21. and leaves us to conclude, from the premi- 
ses laid down, ver. 15, 16, 17. that the gift and the grace, in its 
utmost extent, is as free to all mankind, who are willing to accept of 
it, as this particular instance, the resurrection from the dead. They 
shall all be raised from the dead hereafter; they may all be quick- 
ened by the Spirit here. 7. Having thus shown the extensiveness of 
the Divine grace, in opposition to the dire effects of the law under 
which Adam. was; that the Jews might not overlook what he 
intended they should particularly observe, he puts them in mind that 
the law given to Adam, transgress and die, was introduced into the 
Jewish constitution by the ministry of Moses; and for this end, that 
the offence, with the penalty of death annexed to it, might abound, 
ver. 20. But, to illustrate the Divine grace, by setting it in con- 
trast to the law, he immediately adds, where sin, subjecting to 
death, hath abounded, grace hath much more abounded ; that is, in 
blessings bestowed ; it has stretched far beyond both Adam’s trans- 
gression, and the transgressions under the law of Moses, ver. 20, 21. 
and see the note on the first of these verses. 

Upon this argument the learned doctor makes the following ge- 
heral remarks :— 

_ “J. As to the order of time; the apostle carries his arguments 
backwards from the time when Christ came into the world, (chap. i. 
17. to chap. iv.) to the time when the covenant was made with 
Abraham, (chap. iv.) to the time when the judzment to condemna- 
tion, pronounced upon Adam, came upon all men, chap. v. 12. to the 
end. And thus he gives us a view of the principal dispensations 
from the beginning of the world. 

If. In this last case, as well as in the two former, he uses Jaw, or 
forensic terms; judgment to condemnation, justification, justify, made 
sinners, made righteous. And therefore, ashe considers both Jews and 

12 


i IT Ne ey 


134 _ ROMANS.—CHAP. Y. 


14 Nevertheless death reigned from * Adam to Moses, 
even over them that had not sinned after the similitade of 


aCh. 4.15. Hos. 6.7. Wisd. 1. 14, 
SSS EES 
Gentiles at the coming of Christ, and Abraham, when the covenant 
was made with him; so he considers Adam, and, all men, as standing 
in the court before the tribunal of God. And this was the clearest 
and concisest way of representing his arguments.””—Notes, p. 283. 

Sin entered into the world] There was neither sin nor death be- 
fore the offence of Adam: after that there were both. Adam’s trans- 
gression was therefore the cause of both. 

And death by sin] Natural evil is evidently the effect of moral 
evil: if man had never sinned, he had never suffered. Dust thowart, 
and unto dust shalt thou return, was never spoken till after Adam had 
eaten the forbidden fruit, : 

Death passed upon all men} Hence we see, that all human beings 
partook in the consequences of Adam’ssin. He propagated his like; 
and, with the rudiments of his own nature, propagated those of his 
moral likeness. 

For that all have sinned} All are born with a sinful nature; and 
the seeds of this eyil soon vegetate, and bring forth corresponding 
fruits. There has never been one instance of an immaculate human 
soul since the fall of Adam. Every man sins, and sins too after the 
similitude of Adam’s transgression. Adam endeavoured to be inde- 
pendent of God: all his offspring act in the same way; hence prayer 
is little used, because prayer is the language of dependance ; and this’ 
is inconsistent with every emotion of original sin. When these dege- 
nerate children of degenerate parents are detected in their sing, they 
act just as their parents did; each excuses himself, ngs wo the 
blame on another. What hast thou done?—The woman | THOU 
gavest me, to be with me, SHE gave me, and I did eat—What hast THou 
done 2—The SERPENT beguiled me, and I did eat. Thus, itis ex- 
tremely difficult to find a person who ingenuously acknowledges his 
own transgression. See the notes on Gen. iii. 6, &c. where the doc- 
trine of original sin is particularly considered. 

Verse 13. For until the law, sin was in the world| As death 
reigned from Adam to Moses; so also did sin. Now, as there was 
no written law from Adam till that given to Moses; the death that 
prevailed could not be the consequence of the breach of that law; 
for sin, so as to be punished with temporal death, is not imputed wu 
there is no law, which shows the penalty of sin to be death. There- 
fore, men are uot subjected to death for their own personal trans- 
gressions, but for the sin of Adam; as through his transgression, all 
come into the world with the seeds of death and corruption in their 
own nature, superadded to their moral depravity. All are sinful— 
all are mortal—and all must die. f 

Verse 14. Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses| This sup- 
poses, as Dr. Taylor very properly observes :—1. That sin was in the: 


ui, ta Ol __—_ ——_—) but 


ROMANS,—CHAP. V. 135 


Adam's transgression, * who is the figure of him that was 
to come. kia . 
15 But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. > For, 


a4 Cor. 15. 21, 22, 45.- Col. 2. 17.—> Isai. 53. 11. Dan. 1,2. Johni.16. _ 


world from Adam to Moses. 2. That law was not in the world from 
Adam to Moses, during the space of about 2500 years: for after Adam’s 
transgression, that law was abrogated; and from that time, men 
were either under the general covenant of grace, given to Adam or 
Noah; or under that which was specially made with Abraham. 3. 
That therefore the sins committed were not imputed unto them io 
death ; for they did not sin after the simihitude of Adam’s transgression ; 
that is, they did not, like him, transgress a law, or rule of action, to 
which death, as the penalty, was annexed. And yet—4. Death 
reigned over mankind, during the period between Adam and Mases. 
Therefore, men did not die for their own transgressions, but in con~ 
sequence of Adam’s one transgression. See the note on this passage 
at the end of the preface, p. xxx. 

Who is the figure of him that was to come] Adam was the figure, 
sumos, the type, pattern, or resemblance of him who was to come: i. e. 
of the Messiah. The correspondence between them appears in the 
following particulars: —1. Through him, as its spring and fountain, 
sin became diffused through the world, so that every man comes into 
the world with sinful propensities: for, by one man sin entered into 
the world ; and death by sin; and so judgment passed upon all men, 
ver. 12. Through Christ, as its spring and fountain, righteousness 
becomes diffused through the earth; so that every man is made par- 
taker of a principle of grace and truth; for he is the true light that 
lighleneth every man that cometh into the world. John i, 9. 2. As 
in Adam all die; so in Christ shall all be made alive. 1 Cor. xv. 22. 
For, since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of 
the dead. ver. 21. 3. As in, or through Adam, guilt came upon all 
men; so, through Christ, the free gift comes upon all men unto justi- 
Jication of life, ver. 18. These alone seem to be the instances, in 
which a similitude exists between Adam and Christ. 

Verse 15. But not as the offence, so also is the free gift] ‘The 
same learned writer quoted above, continues to observe: ‘It is evi- 
dent that the apostle, in this aud the two following verses, is running 
a parallei, or making a comparison'between the offence of Adam and 
its consequence ; and the opposite gift of God, and its consequences. 
And in these three verses he shows that the comparison will not hold 
good in all respects; because the free gift, x2e1cuz, bestows blessings 
far beyond the consequences of the offence; and which therefore, 
have no relation to it. And this was necessary, not only to. prevent 
mistakes concerning the consequence of Adam’s offence, and theex- 
tent of Gospel grace ; but it was also necessary to the apostle’s main 
design; which was not only to prove that the grace of the Gospel ex- 
tends to all men, so far as it takes off the consequence of Adam’s of- 
fence, [i. e. death, without the promise or probability of a resurrec- 


’ eo La 4 


136 ~ ROMANS.—CHAP. V. _ 


if through the offence of one, many be dead; much * more 
the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which us by one 
man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded » unto many. i 


aCh. 8.29. John 3.16. “> Isai. 53.11. Matt. 20. 28. & 26. 28. 


tion,] but that it likewise extends to all men, with respect to the 
surplusage of blessings; in which it stretches far beyond the conse- 
quences of Adam’s offence. For, the grace that takes off the conse- 
quence of Adam’s offence, and the grace which abounds beyond it, are 
both included in the same y2e1su2, or free gift, which should be well 
observed ; for in this, I conceive, lie the connexion and sinews of the 
argument: the free gift, which stands opposed to Adam’s offence ; and 
which, I think, was bestowed immediately after the offence, Gen. iii. 
15, Lhe seed of the woman shall bruise the serpent’s head; this gift, Y 
say, includes both the grace which exactly answers to the offence ; 
and also that part of the grace which stretches far beyond it. And, 
if the one part of the gift be freely bestowed on all mankind, as the 
Jews allow, why not the other? especially, considering that the 
whole gift stands upon a reason and foundation in excellence and 
worth, vastly surpassing the malignity and demerit of the offence ; 
and consequently, capable of producing benefits vastly beyond the 
sufferings occasioned by the offence. ‘This is the force of the apostle’s 
argument: and therefore, supposing that in the 18th and 19th verses, 
literally understood, he compares the consequence of Adams offence, 
and Christ’s obedience, only so far as the one is commensurate to the 
other; yet his reasoning, ver. 15, 16, 17. plainly shows, that it is his 
meaning and intention that we should take into his conclusion the 
whole of the gift, so far as it can reach, to all mankind.” — 

For, if through the offence of one, many bedead] ‘That the os 7c,~ 
aot, the many, of the apostle, here means all mankind, needs no proof 
to any but that person who finds himself qualified to deny that all men 
are mortal. And if the many, that is all mankind, have died through 
the offence of one; certainly the gift by grace, which abounds unto 
Tous moaaous, the many, by Christ Jesus, must have reference to eve- 
ry human being. If the consequences of Christ’s incarnation and 
death extend only to a few, or a select number of mankind, which, 
though they may be considered many in themselves, are few in com- 
parison of the whole human race; then the consequences of Adam’s 
sin have extended only to a few, or to the’same select number: and 
and if only many, and not all, have fallen, only that many had need 
of a Redeemer. For, it is most evident, that the same persons are 
referred to in both clauses of the verse. If the apostle had believed 
that the benefits of the death of Christ had extended only to a select 
number of mankind, he never could have used the language he has 
done here: though, in the first clause he might haye said, without 
any qualification of the term, through the offence of one, MANY are 
dead : in the second clause, to be consistent with the doctrine of par- 
ticular redemption, he must have said, The grace of God, and the gift 
by grace, hath abounded unto some. As by the offence of one, judg> 


: ROMANS —CHAP. V. ~” 137 


16 And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift : 
for the judgment wus by one to condemmatien ; but the free 
gift <s of many offences unto justification. 

17 For if * by one man’s offence death reigned by one ; 
much more they which receive abundance of grace and of 


the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus 
Christ.) 


. 2 Or, by one offence. 


ment come upon all men to condemnation ; so, by the righteousness of 
one, the free gift came upon SOME to justification, ver. 18. As, by 
one man’s disobedience, MANY were made sinners ; so, by the obedience 
of one, shall some be made righteous, ver-19. As in Adam aut die; 
so in Christ shall somE be made alive, 1 Cor. xv. 22. But neither 
the doctrine nor the thing ever entered the soul of this divinely im- 
spired man. : 

Hath abounded unto many.| ‘That is, Christ Jesus died for every 
man; salvation is free for all; saving grace is tendered to every soul ; 
anda measure of the Divine light is actually communicated to every 
heart, Johni. 9. And, as the grace is offered, so it may be received ; 
and hence the apostle says, ver. 17, they which receive abundance of 
Brace, and of the gift of righteousness, shall reign in life by Christ Jesus ; 
and, by receiving, is undoubtedly meant not only the act of receiving, 
but retaining and improving the grace which they receive; and, as 
all may receive, so ALL may improve and retain the grace they do 
receive; and, consequently, ari may be eternally saved. But of 
multitudes, Christ still may say, They wii not come unto me that 
they might have life. 

Verse 16. And noi as it was by one that sinned] Thatis, the ju- 
dicial act that followed Adam’s sin, (the sentence of death pronounced 
upon him, and his expulsion from paradise,) took its rise from his one 
offence alone and terminated in condemnation; but the free giftof God 
in Christ takes its rise also from the many offences which men, in a long 
course of life, have personally committed ; and the object of this grace 
is to justify them freely, and bring them to eternal life. 

_ Verse 17. Death reigned by one] Death is here personified, and 
is represented as reigning over the human race; and death of course, 
reigns unto death ; he is known as reigning, by the destruction of his 
subjects. 

__ Shall reign in life] Those who receive, retain, and improve the 
abundant grace offered by Jesus Christ, shall be redeemed from the 
empire of death, and exalted to the throne of God, to live and reign 
with him ever, world without end. See Rey. i. 5, 6. ii. 7, 10, 11.iii. 21. 

If we carefully compare ver, 15. with ver. 17. we shall find that 
there is a correspondence between wegiowerty, the abounding, ver. 
17. and eregiooevet, hath abounded, ver. 15. between rs dwgeane rns 
#inesoourne, the gift of righteousness, ive. justification, ver. 17. and » 

2 alae: 


Sg Se a a a gine! 
138 ROMANS.—CHAP. V. sg ; 


18 Therefore, as * by the offence of one, judgment came 
upon all men to condemnation ; even so ” by the righteous- 
ness of one, the free gift came ° upon all men unto justifica- 
tion of life. ‘ 


3 Or, by one offence.—> Or, by one righteousness.—e John 12. 32. Heb. 2. 9. 


Super ev x2eitt, the gift by grace, ver. 15. Therefore, if we under- 
stand the abounding of grace, und the gift of justification, ver. 17. we 
shall understand the grace of God, and the Bit by grace, which hath 
abounded unto the many, ver. 15. But the abounding of grace, and 
the gift of justification, ver. 17. is that grace and gift which is RECEI- 
VED by those who shail reign in eternal life. Reigning in life, is the 
consequence of receiving the grace and gift. Therefore, receiving 
the grace, is a necessary qualification on our part, for reigning in 
life; and this necessarily implies our believing in Christ Jesus, as 
having died for our offences, receiving the grace so freely offered us; 
using the means in order to get more grace, and brmging forth the 
fruits of the Spirit. Receive, must here haye the same sense as in 
Matt. xiii. 20. He heareth the word, and with joy RECEIVETH it. 
John i. 12, But as many as RECEIVED him, to them gave he power to 
become the sons of God. John iii. 11, Ye RECEIVE nol our witness.— 
See also ver. 32, 33. John v. 43, I am come in my Father's name, 
and ye RECEIVE me not. John xii. 48, He that RECELVETH not my 
words. John xiii. 20, He that receiveth whomsoever I send, RECEI- 
vETH me. John xiv. 17, The Spirit of truth whom the world cannot 
RECEIVE. John xvi.8, I have given them the words which thou gavest 
me; and they have RECEIVED them. Inall these passages it is evident 
that receiving and not receiving, imply improving or not improving. 
Verse 18. Therefore, as by the offence of one, &c.| The Greek 
text of this verse is as follows, Ap ouy, we di? tvos magumTuparos, He 
ravers avOgamauce bs xaraxeiua® ourw xasdy voc dixai@paros, tic 
ravras apbewmous, es dixatwor Cans; which, literally rendered, 
stands thus—Therefore, as by one offence unto all men, unto condem~ 
nation ; so likewise, by one righteousness unto all men, to etion 
of life. This is evidently an elliptical sentence, and its full meaning 
can be gathered only from the context. He who had no particular 
purpose to serve, would, most probably understand it, from the con- 
text thus—Therefore, as by one sin, all men came into condemna- 
tion ; so also, by one righteous act, all men came unto justification of 
life; which is more fully expressed in the following verse. Now, 
leaving all particular creeds out of the question; and taking in the 
scope of the apostle’s reasoning in this, and the preceding chapter; 
is not the sense evidently this? Through the disobedience of Adam, - 
a sentence of condemnation to death, without any promise or hope of 
a resurrection, passed upon all men; so by the obedience of Christ 
unto death, this one grand righteous act, the sentence was so far re- _ 
versed, that death shall not finally triumph ; for all shall again be 
restored to life ; justice must have its due; and therefore all must 
die. The mercy of God im Christ Jesus, shall have its due also; 


— 
. 


ROMANS.—CHAP. V. 139 


49 For, as by one man’s * disobedience, many were made 
sinners ; so, by the obedience of one, shall many be made 
righteous. 


a1 Kings 1.21. Isai. 53. 4,5,6,10. 2Cor.5. 21. 


and therefore all shall be put into a salvable state here, and the 
whole human race shall be raised to life at the great day. Thus, 
both justice and mercy are magnified ; and neither is exalted at the 
expense of the other. 

. The apostle uses three remarkable words in these three verses: 
1. Aixatoua, justification, ver. 16. 2. Amasccuyn, which we render 
vighteousness, verse 17. but is best rendered justification, as ex~ 


pressing that pardon and salvation offered to us in the Gospel: see 


the note, chap. i. 16. 3. Asmaswoss, which is also rendered justifica- 
tion, verse 18. j 

The first word J:zase2, is found in the following places, Luke i. 
6. Rom. i. 32, ii. 26. v. 16, 18. viii. 4. Heb. ix. 1,10. Rev. xv. 
4. and xix. 8. to which the reader may refer. Asxaswpez, signifies, 
among the Greek writers, the sentence of a judge acquitting the in- 
nocent, condemning, and punishing the guilty ; but in the New Tes- 
tamient it signifies whatever God has appointed, or sanctioned as a 
Jaw ; and appears to answer to the Hebrew mim vawn mishpat Yeho- 
wah, the statute or judgment of the Lord. It has evidently this sense 
in Luke i. 6. walking in all the commandments and ORDINANCES, 
dinatauacs, of the Lord blameless ; and it has the like meaning in 
the principal places referred to above: but in the verse in question, 
it most evidently means absolution, or liberation from punishment, as 
it is opposed to zaraxesux, condemnation, verse 18.—See the note 
on ch. i..16. and see Schleusner in voce. 

The second word, dixasocuvn, 1 have explained at large in ch. i. 
16. already referred to. 

The third word, dizaswets, is used by the Greek writers, almost 
universally, to denote the punishment inflicted on a criminal, or the 
condemnatory sentence itself; but in the New Testament, where it 
occurs only twice, (Rom. iv. 25, he was raised for our justification, 
dizatwosy, and chap. v. 18. unto justification of life, dixatwow, Cans,) 
it evidently signifies the pardon and remission of sins ; and seems to 
be nearly synonymous with dixaswu2. Dr. Taylor thinks that 
“Sixaswcuyn, is Gospel pardon and salvation ; and has reference to ~ 
God’s mercy. Asawa, is our being set quite clear and right ; or 
our being restored to sanctity, delivered from eternal death, and being 
brought to eternal life; and has reference to the power and guilt of 
sin. And dixaiocis, he thinks may mean no more than our being 
restored to life at the resurrection.’’ Taking these in their ordet 
there is, first, pardon of sin. Secondly, purification of heart, and 
preparation for glory. Thirdly, the resurrection of the body, 
and its being made like to his glorious body, so as to become a fit 
tabernacle for the soul in a glorified state for ever and ever, — 


140: ROMANS.—CHAP. V. . 


20 Moreover, * the law entered, that the offence might 


abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much » more 
abound : ay 


— EE 
a Sohn 15. 22. Ch, 3, 20. & 4, 15. & 7. 8. Gal. 3, 19, 23.—b Luke 7. 47. 1Tim. 1. 14, 


The same writer observes, that when the apostle speaks of for- 
giveness of sins, simply, he insists on faith as the condition; but here, 
where he speaks of justification of life, he mentions no condition ; 
and therefore he supposes justification of life, the phrase being un- 
derstood in a forensic sense, to mean Ho more than the decree or 
judgment that determines the resurrection from the dead. This is 
a favourite point with the doctor, and he argues largely for it: see 
his notes. : : 

Verse 19. For, as by one man’s disobedience, &c.] The explana- 
tion of this verse has been anticipated in the foregoing. 

Verse 20. The law entered that the offence might abound) After 
considering various opinions concerning the true meaning of this 
verse, (see under verse 12.) I am induced to prefer my own, as 
being the most simple. By law I understand the Mosaic law. By 
entering in, repeonade, or rather coming in privily, see Gal. i. 4. 
(the only place where it occurs besides,) I understand the temporary 
or limited use of that law, which was, as far as its rites and ceremo- 
Dies are considered, confined to the Jewish people; and to them only 
till the Messiah should come: but, considered as the moral law, or 
rule of conscience and life, it has in its spirit and power been slipt 
in, introduced into every conscience, that sin might abound, that the 
true nature, deformity, and extent of sin, might appear; for by the 
law is the knowledge of sin: for how can the finer deviations from a 
straight line be ascertained, without the application of a known 
straight edge? Without this rule of right, sin can only be known in 
a sort of general way: the innumerable deviations from positive 
rectitude can only be known by the application of the righteous sta- 
tutes of which the law is composed. And it was necessary that this 
law should be given, that the true nature of sin might be seen, and 
that men might be the better prepared to receive the Gospel; find- 
ing that this law worketh only wrath, i. e. denounces punishment, 
forasmuch as all have sinned. Now, it is wisely ordgred of God, 
that wherever the Gospel goes, there the law goes a: entering 
every where, that sin may be seen to abound, aad that Men may be 
led to despair of salvation in any other way, or on any terms, but 
those proposed in the Gospel of Christ. Thus the sinner becomes a 
true penitent, and is glad, seeing the curse of the law hanging over 
his soul, to flee for refuge to the hope set before him in the Gospel. 

But where sin abounded] Whether in the world, or in the heart 
of the individual, being discovered by this most pure and righteous 
law; grace did much more abound: not only pardon for all that is 
past, is offered by the Gospel, so that all the transgressions for which 
the soul is condemned to death by the law, are freely and fully for- 


ROMANS.—CHAP. V. 141° 


21 That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so @ might 
grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life, by 
Jesus Christ our Lord. 


a2 Cor. 15. 56, 57. Ch. 6. 16, 21, 23. 


given; but also the Holy Spirit, in the abundance of his gifts and 
graces, is communicated, so as to prepare the receiver for an ex- 
ceeding great and eternal weight of glory. Thus the grace of the 
Gospel not only redeems from death, and restores to life ; but brings 
the soul into such a relationship with God, and into such a particir 
pation of eternal glory, as we have no authority to believe ever 
would have been the portion even of Adam himself, had he even eter- 
mally retained his innocence. Thus, where sin abounded ; grace did 
much more abound. tel 

Verse 21. That as sin hath reigned unto death] As extensively, 
as deeply, as universally, as sin, whether implying the act of trans- 
gression, or the impure principle from which the act proceeds, or 
both :—hath reigned, subjected the whole earth and all its inhabi- 
tants; the whole soul, and all its powers and faculties, unto death, 
temporal of the body, spiritual of the soul, and eternal of both; even 
80, as extensively, deeply, and universally, might grace reign, filling 
the whole earth, and pervading, purifying, and refining the whole 
soul: through righteousness, through this doctrine of free salvation, | 
by the bleod of the Lamb, and by the principle of holiness transfused f , 


through the soul by the Holy Ghost: unto eternal life, the proper 
object of an immortal spirit’s hope, the only sphere where the hu-/ 
man intellect can rest, and be happy in the place and state where 
God is; where he is seen as he is; and where he can be enjoyed ‘ 
without interruption in an eternal progression of knowledge and ig 
beatitude: by Jesus Christ our Lord, as the cause of our salvation, § 
the means by which it is communicated, and the source whence it 
springs. Thus we find, that the salvation from sin here, is as exten- 

sive and complete as the guilt and contamination of sin; death is 
conquered, hell disappointed, the devil confounded, and sin totally 
destroyed. Here is glorying, to Him that loved us, and washed us 

from our sins in his own blood, and has made us kings and priests 

to God and his Father, be glory and dominion, for ever and ever. 
Amen! Hallelujah! The Lord God omnipotent reigneth ! Amen, 

‘and Amen. 


What highly interesting and momentous truths does the preceding 
chapter bring to our view! Wo less than the doctrine of the fall 
of man from original righteousness; and the redemption of the world 
by the incarnation and death of Christ. On the subject of the FALL, 

‘though I have spoken much in the notes on Genesis, chap. iii. yet it 
“may be necessary to make a few further observations: 

1. That all mankind have fallen under the empire of death, 

through this original transgression, the apostle most positively as- 


x 


142 ~ ROMANS.—CHAP, V.- 


serts ; and few men who profess to believe the Bible, pretend to dis- 
pute. This point is indeed ably stated, argued, and proved, by Dr. 
Taylor, from whose observations the preceding notes aré considera< 
bly enriched. But there is one point, which 1 think not less evi- 
dent: which he has not only not included in his argument, but as far 
agit came in his way, has argued against it, viz. the degeneracy and 
moral corruption of the human soul. Asno man can account for the 
death brought into the world, but on the ground of this primitive 
transgression: so none can account for the moral evil that is in the 
world on any other ground. It is a fact, that every human being 
brings into the world with him the seeds of dissolution and mortality. 
Into this state we are fallen, according to divine revelation, through 
the one offence of Adam. This fact is proved by themniortality of alt 
men. It isnot less a fact, that every man that is born into the 
world brings with him the seeds of moral evil; these he could not 
have derived from his Maker; for the most pure and holy God can 
make nothing impure, imperfect, or unholy. Into this state we are 
reduced, according to the Scripture, by the transgression of Adam; 
for by this one man, sin entered into the world, as well as death. 

2. The fact, that all come into the world with sinfal propensities, 
is proved by another fact, that every man sins; that sin is his first 
work, and that no exception to this has ever been noticed, except in 
the human nature of Jesus Christ; and that exempt case is suffi- 
ciently accounted for from this circumstance, that it did not come in 
the common way of natural generation. 4 

3. As like produces its like, if Adam became mortal and sinful, he 
could not communicate properties which he did not possess ; and he 
must transmit those which constituted his natural and moral likeness. 
Therefore, all his posterity must resemble himself. Nothing less 
than a constant miraculous energy presiding over the formation and 
developement of every human body and soul, could prevent the seeds 
of natural and moral evil from being propagated. That these seeds 
are not produced in men by their own personal: transgressions, is 
most positively asserted by the apostle in the preceding chapter; and 
that they exist before the human being is capable of actual transgres- 
sion, or of the exercise of will and judgment, so as to prefer and de- 
termine, is evident to the most superficial observer; ist, from the 
most marked ‘evil propensities of children long before reason can have 
any influence or control over passion; and 2dly, it is demonstrated 
by the death of millions in a state of infancy. It could not, there- 
fore, be personal transgression that produced the evil propensities in 
the one case; nor death in the other. " . 

4. While misery, death, and sin, are in the world, we shall have 
jncontrovertible proofs of the fall of man. Men may te against 
the doctrine of original sin; but such facts as the above, will be a 
standing irrefragable argument against every thing that can be ad- 
vanced against the doctrine itself. 

5. The justice of perihitting this general infection to become diffu- 
sed, has been strongly oppugned. ‘* Why should the innocent suffe 
for the guilty?” As God made man to propagate his like on the 


ROMANS.—CHAP. V. a. 


earth, his transmitting thesame kind of nature with which he was 
must be a necessary consequence of that propagation. He 


it is true, bave cut off for ever, the pair; but this, 
most evidently, did not comport with his creative “Bat he 
might have i of sin.’ Thisdoes not appear. 


i incapable 
If he had beemincapable of sinning, he would have been incapable 
of holiness; that is, he could net have been a free agent; or, in other 
words, he could not have been an intelligent or intellectual beimg ; be 
must have been a mass of inert and unconscious matter. “But God 
might have cat them off, and created anew race.” He certainly 
might; and what would have been gained by this? Why, just no- 
thing. The second creation, if of intelligent beings at all, must have 
been precisely similar to the first; and the circumstances iu which 
ee eer > berate pant. be sinctly ee aes ee 
gaw to be the most proper for their predecessors; and consequently, 
the most proper for them. They also must have been im a state of 
probation; they also must have been placed under a law; this law 
must be guarded by penal sanctions ; the possibility of 
must be the same in the second case 2s im the first; and the lapse as 
probable, because as possible to this second race of human beings, as 
it was to their predecessors. It was better, therefore, to let the same 
pair continne, to fulfil the great end of their creation, by propagating 
ther like boa te ear and to introduce an antidote to the poison, 


and by a dispensatioa as strongly expressive of wisdom as of goodness, 


to make the ills of life, which were the consequences of their trans- 
the meana of correcting the evil, and through the wondrous 


gression, 
economy of grace, sanctifying even these to the eternal good of the ~ 


soul. 

6. Had not God provided 2 Redeemer, he no doubt, would bave 
terminated the whole mortal story, by cutting off the origmal trans- 
gressors; for it would have been unjust to permit them to propagate 
their like in such circumstances, that their offspring must be unavoid- 
ably and eternally wretched. 

‘God has therefore provided snch a Saviour, the merit of whose pas- 
sion and death should apply to every human being, and should mfi- 
nitely transcend the demerit of the original transgression, and 
every soul that received that grace, (and aL may,) into a state of 

a ee ee e been, from 


Bie raat Docipheee inks, he has, consequently, sanctified this 
state, and has said, without limitation or exception, Suffer little chald- 
vem to come unio me, and forbid them not, for of such 1s the kingdom of 
God. We may justly infer, and all the justice as well as the mercy 


¥ 


144 ROMANS.—CHAP. VI. 


of the Godhead supports the inference, that all human beings, dying 
in an infant state, are regenerated by that grace of God which bring- 
eth salvation to all men, Tit. ii. 11. and go infallibly to the kingdom 
of heaven. — As to the Gentiles, their case is exceedingly clear. The 
apostle has determined this; see chap. ii. 14. and 15. and the notes 
there. He, who in the course of his providence, has withheld from * 
them the le/ter of his word, has not denied them the light and influ~ 
ence of his Spirit; and will judge them in the great day, only ac- 
cording to the grace and means of moral improvement with which 
they have been favoured. No man will be finally damned because 
he was a Gentile, but because he has not made a proper use of the 
grace and advantages which God had given him. Thus we see that 
the Judge of all the earth has done right; and we may rest assured 
that he will eteriially act in the same way.” ) 

8. The term FALL we use metaphorically, to signify degradation = 
literally, it signifies stumbling, so as to loose the centre of gravity, or 
the proper poise of our bodies, in consequence of which we are preci- 
pitated to the ground. The term seems to have been borrowed from 
the ragarraue of the apostle, chap. v. 15—18. which we translate 
offence, and which is more literally FaLx, from rage, intensive, and 
wimta, I fall, agrievous, dangerous, and ruinous fall, and is properly 
applied to transgression and sin in general; as every act is adegrada- 
tion of the soul, accompanied with hurt, and tending to destruction. 
The term, in this sense, is still in common use; the degradation of a 
man in power, we term his fall; the impoverishment of a rich man 
we express in thesame way: and when a man of piety and probiy is 
overcome by any act of sin, we say he is fallen; he has descended 
from his spiritual eminence, is degraded from his spiritual excellence, 
is impure in his soul, and becomes again exposed to the displeasure 
of his God. 


CHAPTER VI. 4 

We must not abuse the boundless goodness of God by continuing in sin, under 
the wicked persuasion that the more we sin, the more the grace of God 
will abound, 1. For, having been baptized into Christ, we have professed 
thereby to be dead to sin, 2—4. And to be planted in the likeness of his 
resurrection, 5. For we profess to be crucified with him, to die and rise 
again from the dead, 6—11. We should not, therefore, let sin reign in 
our bodies, but live to the glory of God, 12—14._ The makes no 
provision for living in sin, any more than the law did: and those who com- 
mit sin, are the slaves of sin, 15—19. The degrading and afflictive service. 
of sin, and its wages, eternal death; the blessed effects of the grace of God 

in the heart; of which eternal life is the fruit, 20—23. — ’ 


HAT shall we say then? ? Shall we continue in- 
-sin, that grace may abound 2? 6) . 


aCh,.3.8 Ver.15. | 1 a 


NOTES ON CHAPTER VI. __ ro a. 
The apostle having proved that salvation both to Jew and Gen- 
tile must come through the Messiah, and be received by faith only, 


ROMANS.—CHAP. VI. 145 


2 God forbid. How shall we, that are * dead to sin, live 
any longer therein ? 


+ aVer.Ul. Ch.7.4, Gal. 1.19. & 6,14. 


proceeds in this chapter to show the obligations under which both 
were laid to live a holy-life; and the means and advantages they 
enjoyed for that purpose. This he does, not only as a thing highly 
and indispensably necessary in itself, for without holiness none can 
see the Lord; but to confute a calumny which appears to have been 
gaining considerable ground even at thattime; viz. that the doctrine 
of justification by faith alone, through the grace of Christ Jesus, ren- 
dered obedience to the moral law useless; and that the more evila 
man did, the more the grace of God would abound to him, in his re- 
demption from that evil. That this calumny was then propagated, 
we learn from chap. ili. 8. and the apostle defends himself against it in 
the 31st verse of the same, by asserting thathis doctrine, far from 
making void the law,served to establish it. But in this, and the two 
following chapters, he takes up the subject ina regular, formal man- 
ner; and shows both Jews and Gentiles, that the principles of the 
Christian religion absolutely required a holy heart, and a holy life, 
and made the amplest provision for both. 


“Verse 1. Shall we continue in sin] It is very likely that these 
are the words of a believing Gentile; who, having as yet received 
but little instruction, for heis but just brought out of his heathen state 
to believe in Christ Jesus, might imagine, from the manner in which 
God had magnified his mercy in blotting out his sin, on his simply be- 
lieving on Christ ; that, suppose he even gave way to the evil pro- 
pensities of his own heart, his transgressions could do him no hurt, 
now that he was in the favour of God. And we need not wonder 
that a Gentile, just emerging from the deepest darkness, might en- 
tertain such thoughts as these ; when we find that eighteen centuries 
after this, persons have appeared in the most Christian countries of 
Europe, not merely asking such a question, but defending the doctrine 
with all their might; and asserting in the most unqualified manner, 
“‘that believers were under no obligation to keep the moral law of 
God; that Christ had kept it for them; that his keeping it was impu- 
ted to them; and that God, who had exacted it from Him, who was 
their Surety and Representative, would not exact it from them; for- 
asmuch as it would be injustice to require two payments for one 
debt.’ These are the Antinomians who once flourished in this land, 
and whose race is not yet utterly extinct. 

Verse2.. God forbid! Mu» yevorro, let it not be, by no meuns ; far 
From it; let not such a thing be mentioned !—Any of these is the mean- 
ing of the Greek phrase, which is a strong expression of surprise and 
disapprobation: and is not properly rendered by our God forbid ; 
which, though it may express the same thing, yet it is not proper to 
make the sacred wame so familiar on such occasions. 


13 


* a — ior aa) 


146 ROMANS.—CHAP. VI. 


_3 Know ye not, that *so many of us as » were baptized 
into Jesus Christ, ° were baptized inio his death? . 

4 Therefore, we are © buried with him by baptism into 
death : that 4 like as Christ was raised up from the dead 
by *the glory of the Father, ‘even so we also should 
walk in newness of life. 

—e—oO30309n}ww@n@a@#3)}30OO— So ———————— eee SSS 
aCol. 3. 3._ 1 Pet. 2.24.—b Or, are.—e 1 Cor. 15. 29.—d Col. 2. 12.--e Ch. 8. 11. 1 Cor. 


3; EN 2Cor. 13. 4.—-f John 2. 11. & 11. 40.—g Gal. 6.15. Eph. 4. 22, 93,24. Col. 


How shall we, that are dead to sin] The phraseology of this verse 
is common among Hebrews, Greeks, and Latins, To pix fo a thing, 
or person, is to have nothing to do with it or him; to be totally separa- 
ted from them : and to live to a thing or person, is to be wholly given 
up to them; to have the most intimate eonnexion with them. So 
Plautus, Clitell. iii. 1, 16, Nihil mecum tibi, Mortuus T1Bt sum. 
Ihave nothing to do with thee ; I am DEAD to thee. Persa. i. 1. 20, 
Mihi quidem tu jam MORTUUS BRAS, quai te non visitavi. Thou 
wert DEAD fo me, because I have not visited thee. So Mlian, Var. 
Hist. ili. 13. Os psrcsvoraroy ebvec ro Tay Tamugmy, torcuroy, ase 
iy aurous ev ov, nat To wAsSOY Tou CLou ev TH Weoe aUwoY, OmL- 
Ala, xatavarscxeve * The Tapyrians are such lovers of wine, that 
they LIVE in wine; and the principal part of their LIke is DEVOTED 
to it.” They live to wine; they are insatiable drunkards, See more 
examples in Wetstein and Rosenmiiller. whee 

Verse 3. Know ye not, &c.]| Every man who believes the Chris- 
tian religion, and receives baptism as the proof that he believes it, and 
has taken up the profession of it, is bound thereby to a life of right- 
eousness. To be baptized into Christ, is to receive the doctrine of 
Christ crucified, and to receive baptism as a proof of the genuineness 
of that faith, and the obligation to live according to its precepts. 

Baptized into his death?| That, as Jesus Christ, in his crucifixion, 
died completely, so that no spark of the natural or animal life re- 
mained in his body; so, those who profess his religion, should be so 
completely separated and saved from sin, that they have no more con- 
nexion with it, nor any more influence from it, than a dead man has 
with or from his departed spirit. ' 

Verse 4. We are buried with him by baptism into death] It is 
probable that the apostle here alludes tothe mode of administering bap- 
tism by ammersion, the whole body being put under the water, which 
seemed to say, the man is drowned, is dead; and, when he came up 
out of the water, he seemed to have a resurrection to life; the man 
is risen again; he is alive! He was, therefore, supposed to throw off 
his old Gentile state, as he threw off his clothes, and to assume a new 
character, as the baptized generally put on new, or fresh garments. 
I say it is probable that the apostle alludes to this mode of immersion : 
but itis not absolutely certain*that he does so, as some do imagine; 
for, in the next verse, our beifg incorporated into Christ by bap- 


ROMANS.—CHAP. VI. 147 


5 * For, if we have been pianted together in the likeness 
of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrec- 
tion : 


2 Phil. 3. 10, 11. 


tism is also denoted by our being planted, or rather grafted together in 
the likeness of his death : aad Noah’s ark floating upon the water, and 
sprinkled by the rain from heaven, is a figure corresponding to bap- 
tism, 1 Pet. iii. 20, 21. but neither of these gives us the same idea of 
the outward form, as burying. We must be careful, therefore, not 
to lay too much stress on such circumstances. Drowning among the 
ancients was considered the most noble kind of death: some think 
that the apostle may allude to this. The grand point is, that this 
baptism represents our death to sin, and our obligation to walk in 
newness of life; without which, of what use can it, or any other 
rite be? 

Raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father] From this we 
learn that, as it required the glory of the Father, that is, his glorious 
energy to raise up from the grave the dead body of Christ, so it re~ 
quires the same glorious energy to quicken the dead soul of a sinner, 
and enable him to walk in newness of life. ’ 

Verse 5. For if we have been planted together] Zupourot yeyora- 
ww; Dr. Taylor observes, that our translation does not completely 
express the apostle’s meaning. T2cuygura, are such plants as grow, 
the one upon, and in the other, deriving sap and nourishment from it, 
as the misletoe upon the oak; or the scion upon the stock in which it 
is grafted. He would therefore translate the words, For if we have 
been growers together with Christ in the likeness of his death, (or 
in that which is like his death,) we shall be also growers together 
with him in the likeness of his resurrection; or in that which is like 
his resurrection. He reckons it a beautiful metaphor, taken from 
grafting, or making the scion grow together with the new stock. 

But, if we take the word planted, in its usual sense, we shall 
find it to be a metapher, as beautiful and as expressive as the former. 
When the seed, or plant, is inserted in the ground, it derives from 
that ground all its nourishment, and all those juices by which it be- 
comes developed; by which it increases in size, grows firm, strong, 

_ and vigorous; and puts forth its leaves, blossoms, and fruit. The 
death of Jesus Christ is represented as the cause whence his fruitful- 
ness, as the Author of eternal salvation {o mankind, is derived; and 
genuine believers in him, are represented as being planted in this 
death, and growing out of it; deriving their growth, vigour, firm- 
nese, beauty, and fruitfulness, from it. In a word, it is by his death 
that Jesus Christ redeems a lost world : and it is from that vicarious 
death that believers derive that pardon and holiness which make 
them so happy in themselves, and so useful to others. This sacrifi- 
cial death is the soil in which they are planted ; and from which they 
derive their life, their fruitfulness, and their final glory. 


148 ROMANS.—CHAP, VIP 


6 Knowing this, that * our old man is crucified with him, 
that >the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth 
we should not serve sin. ‘ 

7 For © he that is dead is 9 freed fromsin. © =, 


le —___________ 
aGal. 2. 20. 5. 24, & 5. 14, Eph. 4.22. Col. 3. 5, 9.—b> Col, 2. 11.—¢1 Pet. 4.1. 
Gr. justified. ~ 


Verse 6. Our old man is crucified wilh him| This seems to be a 
farther extension of the same metaphor. When a seed is planted in 
the earth, it appears as if the whole body of it perished. All seeds, 
as they are commonly termed, are composed of two parts: the germ, 
which contains the rudiments of the future plant; and the lobes, or 
body of the seed, which, by their decomposition in the ground, be- 
come the first nourishment to the extremely fine and delicate roots 
of the embryo plant; and support it till it is capable of deriving 
grosser nourishment from the common soil. ‘The body dies, that the 
germ may live. Parables cannot go on all fours: and in metaphors, 
or figures, there is always some one, (or more,) remarkable property 
by which the doctrine intended is illustrated. To apply this to the 
purpose in hand : how is the principle of life which Jesus Christ has 
implanted in us, to be brought into full effect, vigour, and usefulness? 
By the destruction of the body of sin, our old man, our wicked, cor- 
rupt, and fleshly self, is to be crucified ; to be as truly slain, as Christ 
‘was crucified: that our souls may as truly be raised from a death of 
sin, toa life of righteousness, as the body of Christ was raised from 
the grave, and afterward ascended to the right hand of God. But 
how does this part of the metaphor apply to Jesus Christ? Plainly 
and forcibly. Jesus Christ took on him a body; a body in the like- 
ness of sinful flesh, Rom. viii. 3. and gave up that body to death ; 
through which death alone, an atonement was made for sin; and the 
way laid open for the vivifying Spirit to have the fullest access to, 
and the most powerful operation in, the human heart. Here, the 
body of Christ dies, that he may be a quickening Spirit to mankind. 
Our body of sin is destroyed by this quickening Spirit, that henceforth 
we should live unto him who died and rose again. Thus the meta- 
phor, in all its leading senses, is complete; and applies most forcibly 
to the subject in question. We find that raaaie avOpamoc, the old 
man, used here and in Eph. iv. 22. and Col. iii. 9. is the same as the 
fresh with its affections and lusts, Gal. v. 24.; and the body of the sins 
of the flesh, Col. ii.11. And the very same which the Jewish writers 
term »)p3pn tors Adam hakadamoni, the old Adam; and which they 
interpret by yin 7s» yetsar hard, “evil concupiscence,”’ the same 
which we mean by indwelling sin, or the infection of our nature, 
in consequence of the fall. From all which we may learn, that the 
design of God is to counterwork and destroy the very spirit and sout 
of sin, that we shall no longer serve it, dovaevéty, no longer be its 
slaves. Nor shall it any more be capable of performing its essential 
functions, than a dead body can perform the functions of natural life. 
“ Verse 7. He that is dead is freed fromsin.| Agdinarwras, literally, ) 


ROMANS.—CHAP. VI. 143 


8 Now “if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we 


shall also live with him: 
9 Knowing that » Christ being raised from the dead dieth 
no more ; déath hath no more dominion over him. 


a2Tim. 2. 11.—> Rev. 1. 18. 
is justified from sin; or, is freed or delivered from it. Does not this 
simply mean, that the man who has received Christ Jesus by faith, 
and has been, through believing, made a partaker of the Holy Spirit, 
has had his old man, all his evil propensities, destroyed; so that he is 
not only justified freely from all sin, but wholly sanctified unto God? 
The context shows that this is the meaning. Every instance of vio- 
lence is done to the whole scope and design of the apostle, by the opi- 
nion, that this ‘*text is a proof that believers are not fully saved from 
sin, in this life; because only he that is dead, is freed from sin.’? 
Then death is his justifier and deliverer! Base and abominable in- 
sinuation, highly derogatory to the glory of Christ! Dr. Dodd, in 
his note on the preceding verse, after some inefficient criticism on 
the word zarapynn, destroyed, which, he thinks, should be rendered 
enervated, has the following most unevangelical sentiment—‘ The 
body of sin in believers, is, indeed, an enfeebled, conquered and de- 
posed tyrant, and the stroke of death finishes its destruction.”? So 
then, the death of Christ, and the influences of the Holy Spirit, were 
only sufficient to depose and enfeeble the tyrant sin; but our death 
raust come in to effect his total destruction! Thus our death is at 
least partially our saviour: and thus, that which was an effect of 


sin, (for sin entered into the world, and death by sin,) becomes the. 


means of finally destroying it! That is, the effect of a cause can be- 
come so powerful as to re-act upon that cause, and produce its anni- 
hilation! The divinity and philosophy of this sentiment are equally 
absurd. It is the blood of Christ alone, that cleanses from all uu- 
righteousness ; and the sanctification of a believer, is no more de- 
pendent on death than his justification. If it be said, “ that believers 


do not cease from sin till they die;’’ I have only to say, they are oe 


such believers as do not make a proper use of their faith. And 
what can be said more of the whole herd of transgressors and infi- 
dels? They cease to sin, when they cease to breathe. If the Chris- 
‘tian religion bring no other privileges than this to its upright follow- 
ers, well may we ask, wherein doth the wise man differ from the 
fool, for they have both one end? But the whole Gospel teaches a 
contrary doctrine, 

Verse 8. Now if we be dead with Christ] According to what is 
stated in the preceding verses. See particularly on the 5th verse. 

Verse 9. Christ being raised from the dead, dielh no more] So we, 
believing in Christ Jesus, and having a death unto sin, anda life 
unto righteousness, should sin no more. If we be risen indeed with 
Christ, we should seck the things above; and set our affections on 
things aboye ; and not on the earth. The man who walks in ham- 

: 13% 


%. 


150 ROMANS.—CHAP. VI. 


10 For, in that he died, * he died unto sin once: but in 
that he liveth, » he liveth unto God. abi ; 

11 Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be © dead in- 
deed unto sin, but ‘alive unto God through Jesus Christ 
our Lord. j r ai 

12 ©Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, 
that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. 


@ Heb. 9. 27, 28—b Luke 20, 38. Ver. 2.—4 Gal. 2. 19.—e Psa. 19. 13. & 119, 133, 


——— eee 


ble, loving obedience, to an indwelling Christ, sin has no more do- 
minion over his soul, than death has over the immortal and glorified 
body of his Redeemer. i 4 

Verse 10. He died unto sin once] On this clause Rosenmiiller speaks 
thus—“‘ Ty apepria2 amebavey eparat> propter peccatum mortuus est 
semel, et quidem misera morte. Tx» euapria, i.e. ump ths aaprtar, 
ad expianda peccata ; Res ipsa docet aliter homines, arebvacxety +» 
epepria, aliter Christum: amat Paulus parallelismum, in quo inter- 
pretando multé cautione opus est.” “He died unio sin once: i. e. 
he died on account of sin, and truly a miserable death. Tx eu2prie, 
is the same as uvep rns apeaprias, for the expiation of sin. Common 
sense teaches us that men die to sin in one sense; Christ in another : 
St, Paul loves parallelisms, in the interpretation of which there is 
need of much caution.””? From the whole scope of the apostle’s dis- 
course, it is plain that he considers the death of Christ, as a death or 
sacrifice for sin; a sin-offering: in this sense no man has\eyer died 
for sin, or ever can die. : 

Verse 11. Reckon ye also yourselves to be dead] Die as traly unto 
sin, ashe died for sin. Live as truly unto God, as he lives with 
God. This seems to be the spirit of the apostle’s meaning. 

Verse 12. Let not sin therefore reign] This is a prosopopecia, or 
personification. Sin is represented as a king, ruler, or tyrant, who 
has the desires of the mind, and the members of the body under his 
control ; so that by influencing the passions, he governs the body. 
Do not let sin reign; do not let him work; that is, let him have no 
place, no being, in your souls; because, wherever he is, he governs, 
jess or more: and indeed sin is not sin without this. How is sin 
known? By evil influences in the mind, and evil acts in the life. 
But do not these influences and these acts prove his dominion? Cer- 
tainly, the very existence of an evil thought to which passion or ap- 
petite attaches itself, isa proof that there sin has dominion; for with- 
* out dominion such passions could not be excited. Wherever sin is 
felt, there sin has dominion ; for sin is sit only as it works in action 
or passion against God. Sin cannot be a quiescent thing; if it do 
not work, it does not exist. 

That ye should obey it in-the lusts thereof.] Avrn evrats eortbuger- 
ass aurou. ‘This clause is wanting in the most ancient and reputa- 
ble MSS. and in the principal versions: Griesbach has left it out of 


ROMANS.—CHAP. VI. 1st 


13 Neither yield ye your * members as instruments of 
_unrighteousness unto sin ; but < yield yourselves unto God, 
as those that are alive from the dead ; and your members 
as instruments of righteousness unto God. 

14 For ‘sin shall not have dominion over you = for ye 
are not under the law. but under grace. 


#Ch. 7.5. Col. 3.5. James 4. 1—>Gr. arms or weapons. ©Ch. 12.1 1Pet 
2M. & 4.2.—¢ Ch 7. 4,6. &8.2. Gal. 5. 12. 


ee — eee 
‘bis text; and professor White says, certissimé delenda. “These 
words should certainly be expunged <’’ they are not necessary to the 
apostle’s argument ; it was enough to say, let not sin reign im your 
mortal bodies, that ye should obey it. [If it be there, it will rei 

there ; and its reign supposes, necessarily, the subjection of that im 
which it reigns. A king reigns when his laws are enforced; and 
the people obey them. When there is no executive government, 
there is no reign. There may be a royal shadow there, but there is 


“ee 13. Neither yield ye your members] Do not yield to tempta- 
tion. Itis no sin to be tempted: the sin hes in yielding. While the 
sin exists only in Satan’s solicitation, it is the devil’s sin, not ours: 
when we yield, we make the devil’s sm our own; then we enter 
into temptation. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Satan 
himself cannot force you to sin; till he wins over your will, he 
cannot bring you into subjection. You may be tempted; but yield 
not to the temptation. 

Yield yourselves unto God] Let God have your wills; keep them 
ever on his side; there, they aresafe; and there, they will be active. 
Satan cannot force the will; and God will not. Indeed it would 
cease to be will, were it forced by either; it is essential to its being 
that it be free. 

And your members az instruments, &c.] Let soul and body be em- 
ployed in the service of your Maker: let him have your hearts; and 
with them, your heads, your hands, your feet. Thmk and devise 
what is pure: speak-what is true, and to the use of edifying: work 
that which is just and good ; and walk steadily m the way that leads 
to everlasting felicity. Be holy within, and holy without. 

Verse 14. Sin shall not have dominion over you] God delivers 
you from it; and if you again become subject to it, it will be the ef 
fect of your own choice or negligence. 

Ye arenot under thelaw] That law which exacts obedience with- 
out giving power to obey: that condemns every transgression and 
every unholy thought, without providing for the extirpation of -eyil, 
or the pardon of sin. 

But under grace.) Ye are under the merciful and beneficent dis- 
pensation of the Gospel: that, although it requires the str-ctest con- 
formity to the will of God, affords sufficient power to be thus con- 
- formed, and in the death of Christ, has provided pardon for all that 

#8 past, and grace to help in every time ef need. 


: ane en in aS 
158 ROMANS.—CHAP. VI. 
15 What then ? shall we sin, * because we are not under 
the law, but under grace 2? God forbid. Bight. 


16 Know ye not, that > to whom ye yield yourselves ser- 
vants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey ; whe- 


a 1Cor. 9. 21.—b Matt. 6. 24, John 8. 34. 2 Pet, 2, 19. 


Verse 15. Shall we sin, because we are not under the law] Shall 
we abuse our high and holy calling, because we are not under that 
law that makes no provision for pardon; but are under that Gospel 
which has opened the fountain to wash away all sin and defilement? 
Shall we sin because grace abounds? Shall we do evil that good 
may come of it? This be far from us! 1 * 

Verse 16. To whom ye yield yourselves] Can yesuppose that you 
should continue to be the servants of Christ, if ye give way to sin? 
Is he not the master who exacts the service, and to whom the service 
is performed? Sin, is the service of Satan; righteousness, the ser- 
vice of Christ. If ye sin, ye are the servants of Satan, and not the 
servants of God. : 

The word Jovacs, which we translate servant, properly signifies 
slave: and a slave among the Greeks and Romans was considered as 
his master’s property: and he might dispose of him as he pleased. 
Under a bad master, the lot of the slave was most oppressive and 
dreadful; his ease and comfort were never consulted; he was treat- 
ed worse than a beast; and, in many cases, his life hung on the mere 
caprice of the master. This state is the state of every poor misera- 
ble sinner; he is the slave of Satan, and his own evil lusts and appe- 
tites are his most cruel task-masters. The same word is applied to 
the servants of Christ, the more forcibly to show that they are their 
Master’s property; and that, as he is infinitely good and benevolent, 
therefore, his service must be perfect freedom. Indeed, he exacts 
no obedience from them, which he does not turn to their eternal ad- 
vantage, for this master has no self-interest to secure. See on . 
chap. i. 1. 

Verse 17. But God be thanked, that ye were the servanisof sin] This 
verse should be read thus :—But thanks be to God. that, although ye 
were the servants of sin, nevertheless, ye have obeyed from the heart that 
form of doctrine that was delivered unto you ; or, that mould of teaching 
into which ye were cast. The apostle does not thank God that they 
were sinners ; but that, although they were such, they had now re~ 
ceived and obeyed the Gospel. 

That form of doctrine] Turov didaxne; here Christianity is re- 
presented under the notion of a mould, or die, into which they were 
cast; and from which they took the impression of its excellence.— 
The figure upon this die is the image of God, righteonsness and true 
holiness, which was stamped on their souls, in believing the Gospel, 
and receiving the Holy Ghost. The words tic éy ragobmre rurory 
refer to the melting of metal: which, when it is liquified, is cast into 
the mould, that it may receive the impression that is sunk, or cut in 


ROMANS.—CHAP. VI. 153 


the¥ of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness ? 

17 But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, 
but ye have obeyed from the * heart that form of ” doc- 
which was delivered you. 

18 Being then ¢ made free from sin, ye became the ser- 
vants of righteousness. 

19 { speak after the manner of men, because of the in- 
firmity of your flesh : for as ye have yielded your mem- 
bers servants to uncleanness, and to iniquity unto iniquity ; 
even so now yield your members servants to righteousness 
unto holiness. 

20 For when ye were ‘4 the servants of sin ye were free 
© from righteousness. 


22Tim, 1.13.—b Gr. whereto ye are delivered.—c John 8. 32. 1 Cor.7.22. Gal. 5.1. 
1 Pet. 2. 16.—4 John 8. 34.—¢ Gr. to righteousness. 


the mould: and therefore the words may be literally translated, into 
which mould of doctrine ye have been cast. They were melted down 
under the preaching of the word, and then were capable of being 
cast into its mould, and receiving the stamp of its purity. 

Verse 18. Being then made free from sin] Ensvbepobevres is a 
term that refers to the manumissionof aslave. They were redeem- 
ed from the slavery of sin, and became the servants of righteousness. 
Here is another prosopopeia; both sin and righteousness are per- 
sonified: sin can enjoin no good and profitable work. Righteousness 
can require none that is unjust or injurious. 

Verse 19. J speak after the manner of men] This phrase is often 
used by the Greek writers, to signify what was easy to be compre- 
hended ; what was ad captum vulgi, level with common understand- 
ings; delivered in a popular style ; what was different from the high 
flights of the poets, and the studied sublime obscurity of the philoso- 

hers. 5 
. Because of the infirmity of your flesh] Asif he had said, make use 
of metaphors and figures connected with well known natural things ; 
with your trades and situation in life ; because of your inexperience 
in heavenly things, of which ye are only just beginning to know the 
nature and the names, 

Servants to uncleanness, &c.] These different expressions show 
how deeply immersed in, and enslaved by sin, these Gentiles were, 
before their conversion to Christianity. Several of the particulars 

_ are given in the first chapter of this epistle. 

Verse 20. Ye were free from righteousness] These two servitudes 
are incompatible: if we cannot serve God and mammon, surely we 
cannot serve Christ and Satan. We must be either sinners of saints : 
God’s servants, or the devil’sslaves. It cannot be, as 2 good mista- 
ken man has endeavoured to sing :— 

“« To good and evil equal bent, 
I'm both a devil and a saint.” 


154 ROMANS.—CHAP. VI. — 


21 * What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye 
are now ashamed ? for » the end of those things is death. 

22 But now “ being made free from sin, and become ser- 
vants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the 
end everlasting life. ae oe 

23 For ‘the wages of sin is death ; but © the gift of God 
és eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. 


aCh. 7. 5.—> Ch. 1. 32.—c John 8. 32.—¢ Gen. 2.17. Ch. 5. 12. James 1. 15.— 
eCh. 2.7.& 5. 17.21. 1Pet.1. 4. 


I know not whether it be possible to paint the utter prevalence of sin 
in stronger colours than the apostle does here, by saying they were 
FREE from righteousness. It seems tantamount to that expression in 
Genesis, chap. vi. ver. 5. where speaking of the total degeneracy of 
the human race, the writer says, every imagination of the thoughts of 
his heart was only evil continually. They were all corrupt; they 
were altogether abominable; there was none that did good; no, not 
one. } 

Verse 21. What fruit had ye then in those things} God designs, 
that every man shall reap benefit by his service. What benefit haye 
ye derived from the service of sin ? ; ; ; 

Whereof ye are now ashamed] Ye blush to remember your former 
life. It was scandalous to yourselves, injurious to others, and highly 
provoking to God. 

The end of those things is death] Whatever sin may promise of 
pleasure or advantage, the end to which it necessarily tends, is the 
destruction of body and soul. 

Verse 22. Butnow being made free from sin} As being free from 
righteousness is the finished character of a sinner; so being made 
free from sin, is the finished character of a genuine Christian. 

And become servants to God] They were transferred from the 
service of one master to that of another: they were freed from the 
slavery of sin, and engaged in the service of God. 

Fruit unto holiness} Holiness of heart was the principle; and 
righteousness of life the fruit. 

Verse 23. For the wages of sin is death] The second death, ey- 
erlasting perdition. Every sinoer earns this, by long, sore, and 
painful service. Oh! what pains do men take to get to hell! Early 
and late they toil at sin; and would not divine justice be in their 
debt, if it did not pay them their due wages ? 

But the gift of God is eternal life] A man may MERIT hell, but 
he cannot MERIT heaven. The apostle does not say that the wages 
of righteousness is eternal life: no, but that this eternal life, even to 
the righteous, is ro x2ete ua Tov Oeov, THE gracious GIFT of GOD: 
and even this gracious gift comes through Jesus Christ our Lord. He 
alone has procured it; and it is given to all those who find redemp- 
tion in his blood. A sinner goes to hell, because he deserves it; a 


ROMANS.—CHAP. VI. ~ 155 


righteous man goes to heaven, because Christ has died for him: and 
communicated that grace by which his sin is pardoned, and his soul 
made holy. The word o ayia, which we here render wages, signified 
the daily pay ofa Roman soldier. So every sinner hasa daily pay, and 
this pay is death: he has misery because he sins. Sin constitutes 
hell; the sinner has a hell in his own bosom; all is confusion and dis- 
order where God does not reign; every indulgence of sinful passions 
increases the disorder, and consequently the misery of asinner. If 
men were as much in earnest to get their souls saved, as they are to 
prepare them for perdition, heaven would be highly peopled; and 
devils would be their own companions. And will not the living lay 
this to heart? 


1. In the preceding chapter we see the connexon that subsists be- 
tween the doctrines of the Gospel, and the practice of Christianity. 
A doctrine, is a teaching, instruction, or information concerning some 
truth that is to be believed, as essential to our salvation. But all 
teaching that comes from God, necessarily leads to him. That 
Christ died for our sins, and rose again for our justification, is a glori- 
ous doctrine of the Gospel. But this is of no use to him who does 
not die to sin, rise in the likeness of Christ’s resurrection, and walk 
in newness of life: this is the use that should be made of the doctrine. 
Every doctrine has its use; and the use of it consists in the practice 
founded on it. We hear there isa free pardon; we go to God and 
receive it: we hear that we may be made holy; we apply for the 
sanctifying Spirit: we hear there isaheavenof glory, into which the 
righteous alone shall enter; we watch and pray, believe, love, and 
obey, in order that, when he doth appear, we may be found of Him 
in peace, without spot, and blameless. Those are the doctrines ; 
these are the uses or practices founded on those doctrines. 

2. It is strange that there should be found a person believing the 
whole Gospel system, and yet living in sin! SaLVATION FROM SIN 
isthe long continued sound, as it is the spirit and design of the Gos- 
pel. Our Christian name, our baptismal covenant, our profession of 
faith in Christ, and avowed belief in his word, all call us to this. Can it 
be said that we have any louder calls than these? Our self-interest, as 
it respects the happiness of a godly life, and the glories of eternal 
blessedness ; the pains and wretchedness of a life of sin, leading to the 
worm that never dies, and the fire thatis not quenched, seconds most 
powerfully the above calls. Reader, lay these things to heart; 
and answer this question to God: How shall I escape, if I neglect so 
great salvation 2? And then, as thy conscience shall answer, let thy 
mind and thy hand begin to act. 


CHAPTER VII. 


The law has power over a manas long’as he lives, 1. And a wife is bound to 
her husband only as long as he lives, 2, 3. Christian believers are deliver- 
ed from the Mosaic law by Christ Jesus, and united to God, 5, 7. By the 
law, is the knowledge of sin, 8. Butit givesno power overit, 9—11. Yet 
it is holy, just, and good, 12. . How it convinces of sin, and brings into 
bondage, 13—24. No deliverance from its curse but by Jesus Christ, 25. 


156 - ROMANS.—CHAP. Vil. ; 
NOW ye not, brethren, (for I that 
know the law,) how ® that the law h inion 


over a man as long as he liveth ? " 


Ch. 6.14. Numb. 5, 11-31. 


NOTES ON CHAPTER Vil. 

The apostle having, in the preceding chapter, shown the et 
Gentiles the obligations they were under to live aholy life; addresses 
himself here to the Jews, who might hesitate to embrace the Gospel ; 
lest, by this means, they should renounce the law, which might ap- 
pear to them as a renunciation of their allegiance to God. As they 
rested in the law, as sufficient for justification and sanctification ; it 
Was necessary to convince them of their mistake. . That the law was 
insufficient for their justification, the apostle had proved, in — 
iii. iv. and v.; that it is imsufficient for their sanctification he shows 
in this chapter; and introduces his discourse by showing that a be- 
lieviog Jew is discharged from his obligations to the law; and is at 
liberty to come under another, and much happier constitution, viz. 
that of the Gospel of Christ, 1—4. In the 5th verse he gives a gene- 
ral description of the state of a Jew, in servitude to sin, considered as 
under mere law. In the 6th verse he gives a summary account of 
the state of a Christian or believing Jew, and the advantages he en- 
joys under the Gospel. Upon the 5th verse he comments, from ver. 
7. to the end of the chapter, and upon the 6th verse he comments, 
chap. viii. 1—11. 

In explaining his position in the 5th verse, he shows—1. That the 
law reaches to all the branches and latent principles of sin, ver. 7. 
2. That it subjected the sinner to death, ver. 8—12. without the ex- 
pectation of pardon. 3. He shows the reason why the Jew was put 
under it, ver. 13. 4. He proves that the law, considered as a rule 
of action, though it was spiritual, just, holy, and good imitself, yet 
was insufficient for sanctification, or for freeing a man from the pow- 
er of inbred sin. For, as the prevalency of sensual appetites cannot 
wholly extinguish the voice of reason and conscience: a milan may 
acknowledge the law to be holy, just, and good, and yet his passions 
reign within him, keeping him in the most painful and degrading ser- 
yitude, while the law supplied no power to deliver him from them, 
ver. 14—24. as that power can only be supplied by “— of Je- 
sus Christ, ver.25. See Taylor. 

Verse 1. For I speak to them that know the law} This is a proof 
that the apostle directs this part of his discourse to the Jews. 

As long as he liveth] Or, as long as rv liveth: law does not ex- 
tend its influence to the dead; nor do abrogated laws bind. It is ail 
the same whether we understand these words as speaking of a law 
abrogated, so that it cannot command; or of its objects, being dead, 
so that it has none to bind. In either case the law has no force. 

Verse 2. For the woman which hath a husband] The apostle il- 
lustrates his meaning by a familiar instance. A married womaii is 


ROMANS.—CHAP. VII. 157 


2 For ? the woman which hath a husband is bound by the 
law to her husband so long as he liveth ; but if the hus- 
band be dead, she is loosed from the law of her. husband. 

3 So then °if while her husband liveth, she be married 
to another man, she shall be called an adulteress : but if 
her husband be dead, she is free from that law ; so, that 
she is no adulteress, though she be married to another 
man. 

4 Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become ° dead 
to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be mar- 
ried to another, even to him who is. raised from the dead, 
that we should ¢ bring forth fruit unto God. 


a1 Cor. 7. 39.—b Matt. 5. 32.—¢Ch. 8.2. Gal. 2:19. & 5.18. Eph. 2.15. Col. 2. 14. 
dGal. 5. 22. 


bound to her husband while he lives; but when her husband is dead, 
she is discharged from the law, by which she was bound to him alone. 

Verse 3. So then, if while her husband liveth] The object of the 
apostle’s similitude is to show, that each party is equally bound to the 
other; but that the death of either dissolves the engagement. 

So—she is no adulteress, though she be married to another) And do 
not imagine that this change would argue any disloyalty in you to 
your Maker; for, as he has determined that this law of ordinances 
shall cease, you are no more bound to it than a woman is to a de- 
ceased husband; and are as free to receive the Gospel of Christ, as 
@ woman, in such circumstances, would be to re-marry. 

Verse 4. Wherefore, my brethren] This is a parallel case. You 
were once under the law of Moses, and were bound by its injunc- 
tions; but now ye are become dead to that law; a modest inoffensive 
mode of speech, for the law, which was once your husband, is dead ; 
God has determined that it shall be no longer in force; so that now, 
as a woman whose husband is dead, is freed from the law of that hus- 
band, or from her conjugal vow, and may legally be married to ano- 
ther: so God, who gave the law under which ye have hitherto lived; 
designed that it should be in force only till the advent of the Messiah. 
That advent has taken place, the law has, consequently, ceased, and 
now ye are called to take on you the yoke of the Gospel, and lay 
down the yoke of the law; and this is the design of God, that you 
should do so. 

That ye should be married to another—who is raised from the dead| 
As Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that be- 
lieveth, the object of God in giving the law, was to unite yeu to 
Christ ; and as he has died, he has not only abolished that law which 
condemns every transgressor to death, without any hope of a revi- 
val; but he has also made that atonement for sin by his own death, 
which is represented in the sacrifices prescribed by the law. And as 
Jesus Christ is risen again from the dead, he has thereby given the 

14 


ae 4 _ ™ yy oe Ve a Bi, all 
158 ROMANS.—CHAP. VII.” 

5 For, when we were in the flesh, the * motions of sing, 
which were by the law, °did work in our members © to 
bring forth fruit unto death. ; 

6 But now we are delivered from the law, that “being 


dead wherein we were held; that we should serve ®in 
newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter. 


2 Gr. passions.— Ch. 6. 13.—c Ch. 6. 21. Gal. 5. 19. James 1. 15.—4 Or, being dead 
to that. Ch.6.2, Ver.4.—¢ Ch. 2.29. 2 Cor. 3. 6. - 


fullest proof, that by his death he has procured the resurrection of 
mankind; and made that atonement required by the law. 

That we should bring forth fruit unto God] We, Jews, who be- 
lieve in Christ, have,in consequence of our union with him, received 
the gifts and graces of the Holy Spirit; so that we bring forth that 
frait of boliness unto God, which, without this union, it would be 
impossible for us to produce. Here isa delicate allusion to the case 
ef a promising and numerous progeny, from a legitimate and happy 
marriage. + 

Verse 5. For, when we were in the flesh] When we were with- 
out the Gospel, in our carnal unregenerated state, though believing 
the law of Moses, and performing the rites and offices of our religion. 

The motions of sins, which were by the law] Ta ra8iuare ray 
apaetioy, the passions of sins, the evil propensities to sins ;—to every 

articular sin, there is a propensity ; one propensity does not excite 
to all kinds of sinful acts; hence the apostle uses the plural number, 
the PASSIONS or propensilies of sins; sins being not more various thaa 
their propensities in the unregenerate heart, which excite to them. 
These raSuuata, propensities, constitute the fallen nature; they are - 
the disease of the heart; the pollution and corruption of the soul. 

Did work in our members] The evil propensity acts, ey rose aere- 
aty, in the whole nervous and muscular system ; applying that stimu- 
lus to every part which is necessary to excite it to action. ; 

To bring forth fruit unto death} To produce those acts of trans- 
gression which subject the sinner to death temporal and eternal. 
When the apostle says, fhe motions of sins, which were hy the law ; 
he points out a most striking and invariable characteristic of sin ; viz. 
its rebellious nature; it ever acts against law, and the most power- 
fully against known law. Because the law woes obedience ; 
therefore it will transgress. The law is equally against evil passions 
and evil actions; aud both these exert themselves against it. So, 
these motions which were by the law, became roused imto the most 
powerful activity, by the prohibitions of the law. y Were com- . 
paratively dormant till the law said, thou shalt ‘NOT do this, thou shalt 
po that; then, the rebellious principle in the evil propensity became 
roused, and acts of transgression, and omissions of duty were the im- 
mediate consequences. 

Verse 6. But now we are delivered from the law] We, who have 
* believed in Christ Jesus, are delivered from that yoke by which we 


ROMANS.—CHAP. VIL 159 


7 What shall we saythen? Js the law sin? God forbid. 
Nay, * 1 had not known sin but by the law ; for, I had not 
known ° lust, except the law had said, © Thou shalt not 
covet. , ee 


aCh. 3. 20.—b Or, concupiscence.—e Exod. 20.17. Deut. 5.21. Acts20,33. Ch. 
13. 9. 


were bound, which sentenced every transgressor to perdition, but 
provided no pardon even for the penitent; and no sanctification for 
those who are weary of their inbred corruptions. 

That being dead wherein we were held| ‘To us believers in Christ, 
this command is abrogated; we are transferred to another constitu- 
tion; that law which kills, ceases to bind us: it is dead to us who 
have believed in Christ Jesus, who is the end of the law for justifica- 
tion and salvation to every one that believes. 

That we should serve in newness of spirit) Weare now brought 
under a more spiritual dispensation; now we know the spiritual 
import of all the Mosaic precepts. Wesee that the law refers to the 
Gospel, and can only be fulfilled by the Gospel. 

The oldness of the letter.| The merely literal rites, ceremonies, 
and sacrifices, are now done away; and the newness of the Spirit, the 
true intent and meaning of all are now fully disclosed ; so that we are 
removed from an imperfect state into astate of perfection and excel- 
lence. We sought justification and sanctification, pardon and holi- 
ness, by the law; and have found that the Jaw could not give them: 


we have sought these in the Gospel scheme, and we have found them. . 


We serve God now, not according to the old literal sense, but in the 
true spiritual meaning. 

Verse 7. Is the law sin?] The apostle had said, ver. 5. The 
motions of sins, which were by the law, did bring forth fruit unto death ; 
and now he anticipates an objection, ‘‘ [s therefore the law sin 2” to 
which he answers as usual, “wn ysvorro, by no means. Law is only 
the means of disclosing this sinful propensity, not of producing it: as 
a bright beam of the sun introduced into a room, shows millions of 
motes which appear to be dancing in it in all directions; but these 
were not introduced by the light, they were there before; only there 
was not light enough to make them manifest ; so the evil propensity 
was there before, but there was not light sufficient to discover it. 

Thad not known sin but by the law] Mr. Locke and Dr. Taylor have 
properly remarked the skill used by St. Paul, in dexterously avoiding, 
as much as possible, the giving offence to the Jews: and this is particu- 
larly evident in his use of the word J in this place. In the beginning 
of the chapter, where he mentions their knowledge of the law, he 
says ¥E. In the 4th verse he joins himself with them, and says we ; 
but here, and so to the end of the chapter, where he represents the 
‘power of sin, and the inability of the law to subdue it, he appears to 
leave them out, and speaks altogether in the first person, though it is 
plain he means all those who were under the law. So chap. iii. 7, 


X 


Oa ee Se 


160 - ROMANS.—CHAP. VIL. 


8 But *sin, taking occasion by the commandment, 
wrought in me all manner of concupiscence, . For » with- 
out the law, sin was dead. nw 
ETE cite Te A Oe 


aCh. 4. 15, & 5, 20.—b 1 Cor. 15. 56. , 


he uses the singular pronoun, why am I judged a sinner? when he 
evidently means the whole body of unbelieving Jews. 

There is another, circumstance in which his address is peculiarly 
evident ; his demonstrating the insufficiency of the law, under co- 
lour of vindicating it. He knew that the Jew would take fire at 
the least reflection on the law, which he held in the highest venera- 
tion; and therefore he very naturally introduces him catching at 
that expression, ver. 5. the motions of sins whieh were by the law ; or, 
notwithstanding the law. ‘ What!’ says this Jew, “do you vilify 
the law, by charging it with favouring: sin?’’ By no means, says 
the apostle, I am very far from charging the law with favouring sin. 
The law is holy, and the commandment is holy, just and good, ver. 12. 
Thus he writes in vindication of the law; and yet at the same time 
shows, 1. That the law requires the most extensive obedience, dis- 
covering and condemning sin in all its most secret and remote 
branches, verse 7. 2. That it gives sin a deadly force, subjecting 
every transgression to the penalty of death, ver.8—14. And yet, 
3. Supplies neither help nor hope to the sinner, but leaves him 
under the power of sin, and the sentence of death, verse 14, &c. 
This, says Dr. Taylor, is the most ingenious turn of writing I ever 
irk one We have another instance of the same sort, chap. xiii. 
1—7. ; 

It is not likely that a dark, corrupt human heart, can discern the 


will of God. His law is his will: it recommends what is just, and © 


right, and good; and forbids what is improper, unjust, and injurious. 
If God had not revealed himself by this law, we should have done 
precisely what many aations of the earth have done, who have not 
had this revelation; put darkness for light, and sin for acts of boli- 
ness. While the human heart is its own measure, it will rate its 
workings according to its own propensities; for, itself is its highest 
rule. But when God gives a true insight of his own perfections, to 
be applied as a rule, both of passion and practice, then sin is disco- 
vered; and discovered too, to be exceedingly sinful. So strong pro- 
pensities, because they appear to be inherent in our nature would 
hhave passed for natural and necessary operations; and their sinful- 
ness would not have been discovered, if the law had not said, Thou 
shalt not covet. And thus determined, that the propensity itself, as. 


well as its outward operations, is sinful. The law is straig 
edge which determines the quantum of obliquity in the crooked line 
to which it is applied. a 


It is natural for man to do what is unlawfal, and to desire espe- 
cially to do that which is forbidden, The heathens have remarked 
this propensity in man. v 


= 


“sh 


-ROMANS.—CHAP. VII. 161 


9 For I was alive without the law once: but when the 
commandment came, sin revived, and I died. 
OOOO oeeeeeEeEeEeEeEea=EeaEeE>ESE=S>SSSQQQQ“™TElo™>E=EE=EEBZ! 

Thus Livy, Hist. xxxiv. 4. 


Luxuria—ipsis vinculis sicut fera bestia irritata. 
‘¢ Luxury, like a wild beast, is irritated by its very bonds,” 
Audax omnia perpeti ' 
Gens humana ruit, per vetitum nefas. 
The presumptuous human race obstinately rush into prohibited acts of 
wickedness.” 
Hor. Carm. lib I. Od. iii. ver. 25. 


And Ovip, Amor. lib. ii. Eleg. xix. ver. 3. 


Quod licet, ingratum est ; quod non licet acrius urit. 
‘6 What is lawful is insipid ; the strongest propensity is excited toward that 
which is prohibited.” 
And again Ib. lib. iii. E. iv. ver. 17. 


Nitimur in vetitum semper, cupimusque negata. 


‘* Vice is provoked by every strong restraint ; 
Sick men long most to drink, who know they may’nt.”’ 


The same poet delivers the same sentiment in another place : 


Acrior admonitu est, irritaturque retenta 
Et crescit rabies : remoraminaque ipsa nocebant. 
Meram. lib. iti. ver. 566. 
‘** Being admonished, he becomes the more obstinate ; and his fierceness is 
irritated by restraints. Prohibitions become incentives to greater acts of 
vice.” , 


But it is needless to multiply examples; this most wicked princi- 
ple of a sinful, fallen nature, has been felt and acknowledged by all 
mankind. s 

- Verse 8. Sin, taking occasion by the commandment] 1 think the 
Pointing, both in this and in the 11th verse, \o be wrong } the com- 
ma should be after occasion, and not after commandment. But sin 
taking occasion, wrought in me, by this commandmert, all manner 
of concupiscence. There are different opinions concerning the mean= 
ing of the word Agopux, which we here translate occasion. Dr. 
Waterland translates the clause, sin, taking advantage. Dr. Tay- 
lor contends that all commentators have mistaken the meaning of it, 
and that it should be rendered having received force. For this ac- 
ceptation of the word, I can find no adequate authority, except in 
its etymology—azo, from, and opan, impetus. The word appears to 
sigaify, in general, whatsoever is necessary for the completion or ac- 
complishment of any particular purpose. Xenophon uses zgognaz 
ee Tov Groy, to signify whatever is necessary for the support of life. 
There is a personification in the text: sin is represented as a mur- 


derer watching for life, and snatching at every means, and embra- 
14* 


162 ROMANS.—CHAP. VII, 


10 And the commandment * which was ordained to life, t 
found to be unto death. : 
EE 

aLev. 18.5. Ezek. 20.11, 13,21. 2 Cor. 3. 7. 


cing every opportunity, to carry his fell purpose into effect. The 
miserable sinner. has a murderer, sin, within him; this murderer 
can only destroy life in certain circumstances: finding that the law 
condemns the object of his cruelty to death, he takes occasion from 
this, to work in the soul all manner of concupiscence, evil and irre- 
gular desires and appetites of every kind: and, by thus increasing 
the evil, exposes the soul to more condemnation, and thus it is re- 
presented as being slain, ver. 11. That is, the law, on the evidence 
of those sinful dispositions, and their corresponding practices, con- 
demns the sinner to death: so that he is dead inlaw. Thus the 
very prohibition, as we have already seen in the preceding verse, 
becomes the instrument of exciting the evil propensity; for, although 
a sinner has the general propensity to do what is evil; yet he seems 
to feel most delight in trausgressing known law: stat pro ratione 
voluntas; ‘1 will do it, because I will.”’ 

For without the law, sin was dead] Where there is no law, there 
is no transgression ; for sin is the transgression of the law; and no 
fault can be imputed unto death, where there is no statute, by 
which such a fault is made a capital offence. 

Dr. Taylor thinks that ypts vogcou, without the law, means the 
time before the giving the law from Mount Sinai, which took in the 
space of 430 years, during which time the people were under the 
Abrahamic covenant of grace: and without the law that was given 
on Mount Sinai, the sting of death, which is sin, had not power to 
slay the sinner: for, from the time that Adam sinned, the law was 
mot re-enacted till it was given by Moses, chap. y. 13. The Jew 
was then alive, because he was not under the law subjecting him to 
death for his transgressions: but when the commandmentcame, with 
the penalty of death annexed, sin revived, and the Jew died. Then 
the sting of death acquired life: and the Jew, upon the first trans- 
gression, was dead in law. Thussin, the sting of death, received force 
or advantage, to destroy by the commandment, ver. 8, 11. 

All manner of concupiscence] It showed what was evil, and forbad 
it; and then the principle of rebellion, which seems essential to the 
very nature of sin, rose up against the prohibition: and he was the 
more strongly incited to disobey, in proportion as obedience was en- 
joined.. Thus the apostle shows that the law had authority to pro- 
hibit, condemn, and destroy ; but no power to pardon sin, root out 
enmity, nor save the soul. 

The word <xibuuiaz, which we render coneupiscence, signifies 
simply strong desire of any kind: but, in the New Testament, it is 
generally taken to signify irregular and unholy desires. Sin, in the 
mind, is the desire to do, or to be, what is contrary to the holiness” 
and authority of Gon. a 


ROMANS.—CHAP. VII. 168 


ii For sin, *taking occasion by the commandment de- 
ceived me, and by it, slew me. 


@ Matt. 5. 20. Heb. 3. 13. James 1. 14. 


For, without the law, sin was dead—This means, according to Dr. 
Taylor’s hypothesis, the time previous to the giving of the law.— 
See before. But it seems also consistent with the apostle’s meaning, 
to imterpret the place as implying the time in which Paul, in his 
unconverted Jewish state, had not the proper knowledge of the law ; 
while he was: unacquainted with ils spirituality. He felt evil desire, 
but he did not know the evil of it; he did not consider that the law 
tried the heart and its workings : as well as outward actions. This 
is farther explained in the next verse. 

Verse 9. I was alive without the law once] Dr. Whitby paraphra- 
ses the text thus: ** For the seed of Abraham was alive without the 
law once, before the law was given, I being not obnoxious to death 
for that to which the law had not threatened death: but when the 
commandment came, forbidding it under that penalty, sin revived, 
and I died; i. e. it got strength to draw me to sin, and to condemn 
me to death. Sin is, ia Scripture, represented as an enemy that 
seeks our ruin and destruction ; and takes all occasions to effect it. 
It is here said to war against the mind, ver. 23. elsewhere to war 
against the soul, 1 Pet. ii. 11. to surround and beset us, Heb. xii. 1. 
to bring us into bondage and subjection, and get the dominion over 
us, Rom. vi. 12. to entice us, and so to work our death, James i. 15, 
16. and to do all that Satan, the grand enemy of mankind, doth, by 
tempting us to the commission of it. Whence Chrysostom, upon 
those words, Heb. xii. 4, Yehave not yet resisted unto blood, xpos Tuy 
apaptiay ayrayeviCousvor, striving against sin: represents sin as an 
armed and flagrant adversary. When therefore, it finds a law 
which threatens death to the violater of it; it takes occasion thence, 
more earnestly, to tempt and allure to the violation of it : that so it 
may more effectually subject us to death and condemnation on that 
account; for the sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the 
law, condemning us to death for transgressing it. Thus, when God 
had forbidden, on pain of death, the eating the fruit of the tree of 
knowledge ; Satan thence took occasion to tempt our first parents to 
transgress, and so slew them; or made them subject to death: ¢£y- 
watuce, he deceived them, Gen. iii. 13. 1 Tim. ii. 14. which is the 
word used ver. 11. The phrase, without the law, sin was dead, 
Means that sin was then, (before the law was given,) comparatively _ 
dead, as to its power of condemning to death; and this sense the an- 
tithesis requires, without the law; auepria vexpa, eyw de Luv, sin 
was dead, but I was living ; but when the commandment came, (i. @- 
the law,) sin revived, and I died. How were men living before the 
law, but because then, no law condemned them? Sin, therefore, 
must be then dead, as to its condemning power. How did they die 
when the law came, but by the law condenining them to death? Sin, 


Fain sn lat a8 9 ial 


164 ROMANS.—CHAP. VII. ern 
12 Wherefore *the law 7s holy, and the commandment 
holy, and just, and good. ‘ 


aPsa. 19. 8. & 119. 39, 137.> 1 Tim. 1. & 


* 


therefore, revived then, as to its power of condemning, which it re- 
ceived first from the sin of Adam, which brought death into the 
world; and next, from the law of Moses, which entered that the 
offence might abound, and reign more unto death, chap. v. 205,21. 
For though sin was in the world from Adam to Moses; or, until the 
law was given; yet it was not imputed unto death, when there was 
no law that did threaten death; so that death reigned from that 
interval, by virtue of Adam’s sin alone; even over them who had 
not sinned after the similitude of Adam’s transgression; i. e, against 
a positive law, forbidding it under the penalty of death; which law 
being delivered by Moses, sin revived; i. e. it had again its force 
to condemn men as before, to death, by virtue of a law which threat- 
ened death. And in this sense the apostle seems to say, Gal. iii. 19. 
the law was added because of transgressions, to convince us of the 
wrath and punishment due to them; and that the law therefore, 
worketh wrath, because where no law is, there is no transgression, 
Rom. iv: 15. subjecting us to wrath; or, no such sense of the Divine 
wrath, as where a plain divine law, threatening death and con- 
demnation, is violated.’’? See Whitby, in loco. ; 

Verse 10. And the commandment] Meaning the law in general : 
which was ordained to life; the rule of righteousness teaching those 
statutes which, ifa man do, he shall live in them, Ley. xviii. 5, 
I found, by transgressing it, to be unto death; for it only presented 
the duty, and laid down the penalty, without affording any strength 
to resist sin, or subdue evil propensities. 

Verse 11. Sin, taking occasion] Sin deriving strength from the 
law, threatening death to the transgressor, (see the note on ver. 8.) 
deceived me, drew me aside to disobedience, promising me gratifi- 
cation, honour, independence, &c. as it promised to Eve; for to her 
history the apostle evidently alludes, and uses the very same ex- 
pression, deceived me, efumarnee wes See the preceding note; and 
see the Septuagint,.Gen, iii. 13. 

And by it slew me.| Subjected me to that death which the law 
denounced against transgressors; and reodered me miserable during 
the course of life itself. {It is well known to scholars, that the verb 
emrouretvsy, signifies not only to s/ay or kill, but also to make wretched. 
Every sinner is not only exposed to death, because he has sinned, 
and must, sooner or later, die ; but he is miserable in both body and 
mind, by the influence and effects of sin. He lives a dying life, or a 
living death, ' 

Verse 12. Wherefore the law is holy] As if he had said, to sooth 
his countrymen, to m he had been showing the absolute insuffi- 
ciency of the law, er to justify or save from sin : I do not intimate 
that that there is any thing improper or imperfect in the law asa 


> 2. cS), + , : a - 


ROMANS.—CHAP. Vit. 165 


13 Was then that *which is good made death unto me ? 
God forbid. But "sin, that it might appear sin, working 
death in me by that which is good ; that sin by the com- 
mandment might become exceeding sinful. 


Ch. 1. 20. & 5. 20.-bCh. 3.20. 2 Cor. 13.7. Gal. 1. 13. 


rule of life: it prescribes what is holy, just, and good; for it Comes 
from a holy, just, and good God, The law which is to regulate the 
whole of the outward conduct is holy ; and the commandment, Thou 
shalt not covet, which is to regulate the heart, is not less so. allis 
excellent and pure; but it neither pardons sin, nor purifies the 
heart; and it is because it is holy, just, and good, that it condemns 
transgressors to death. ; 

Verse 13. Was then that which is good made death unto me 2} This 
is the question of the Jew, with whom the apostle appears to be dis- 
puting. “Do you allow the law to be good, and yet say, it is the 
cause of our death?” The apostle answers, God forbid ! 4» ysvorre, 
by no means: it is not the law that is the cause of your death, but 
sin; it was sin svhich subjected us to death by the law, justly threat- 
ening sin with death. Which law was given, that sin might ap- 
pear, might be set forth in its own colours; when we saw it sub- 
jected us to death by a law perfectly holy, just and good; that sin, 
by the law, might be represented what it really is: #29? umepCorny 
apeaproros, an exceeding great and deadly evil. 

Thus it appears that man cannot have a true notion of sin, but by 
means of the law of God. For this I have already given sufficient 
reasons in the preceding notes, And it was one design of the law to 
show the abominable and destructive nature of sin; as well as to be 
arule of life. It would be almost impossible for a.man to have that 
jvet notion of the demerit of sin, so as to produce repentance, or to 
see the nature and necessity of the death of Christ, if the law were 
not applied to his conscience by the light of the Holy Spirit; it is 
thea alone, that he sees himself to be carnal, and sold under sin; 
and that the law and the commandment are holy, just, and. good. 
And let it be observed, that the law did not answer this end merely 
‘among the Jews, in the days of the apostle ; it is just as necessary to 
the Gentiles, to the present hour. Nor do we find that true repent- 
ance takes place where the moral law is aot preached and enforced. 
Those who preach only the Gospel to sinners, at best only heal the 
hurt of the daughter of my people slightly. The law, therefore, is 
the grand instrument in the hands of a faithful minister, to alarm 
and awaken sinners: and he may safely show, that every sinner is 
under the law, and consequently under the curse, who has not fled 
for refuge to the hope held out by the Gospel: for, in this sense also 
bie Christ. is the end of the law for justification to them that be: 

ieye. 


166 ~ ROMANS.—CHAP. VIL nti 


14 For, we know that the law is spiritual. but I am car- 
nal, * sold under sin. Re Pally J. 


a1 Kings 21. 20, 25. 2Kings 17.17. 1 Mac. 1. 15. 


Verse 14. For, we know that the law is spiritual] This is a gene- 
ral proposition, and probably, in the apostle’s autograph, concluded 
the above sentence. ‘The Jaw is not to be considered as a system of 


it is a spiritual system; it reaches to the idden purposes, 
thoughts, dispositions and desires of the heart and soul; and it re- 
proves and condemns every thing, withou leve or par- 


agreed, on all hands, that the apostle is here demonstrating the in- 
sufficiency of the law, in opposition to the Gospel. That by the for- 
mer, is the knowledge; by the latter, the cure of sin. Therefore, 
by I here he cannot mean himself, nor any Christian believer ; if the 
contrary could be proved, the argument of the apostle would go to 
demonstrate the insufficiency of the Gospel, as well as the law. 

It is difficult to conceive how the opinion could have crept into the 
church, or prevailed there ; that ‘‘the apostle speaks here of his re- 
generate state; and that what was, in such a state, true of himself, 
must be true of all others in the same state.’’ . This opinion has, 
most pitifully and most shamefully, not only lowered the standard of 
Christianity, but destroyed its influence, and disgraced its character. 
It requires but little knowledge of the spirit of the Gospel, and of the 
scope of this epistle, to see that the apostle is here either personating 
a Jew, under the law and without the Gospel, or showing what his 
own state was, when he was deeply convinced that by the deeds of 
the law no man could be justified; and had net as yet heard those 
blessed words, Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus that appeared unto thee 
in the way, hath sent me that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be 
Jilled with the Holy Ghost, Acts ix. 17. 

In this, and the following verses, he states the contrariety between 
himself or any Jew, while without Christ; and the law of God. Of 
the latter he says, it is spiritual; of the former, I am carnal, sold 
under sin. Of the carnal man, in opposition to the spiritual, never 
Was a more complete or accurate description given. The expres- 
sions, in the flesh, and after the flesh, in ver. 5, and in chap. viii. 5, 8, 
9, &c. are of the same import with the word carnal, in this verse. 
To be in the flesh, or io be carnally minded, solely respects the unre- 
generate ; while unregenerate a man is in a state of death and enmity 
against God, chap. viii.6—9. This is St. Paul’s own account ofa car- 
nal man. The soul of such a man has no authority over the appetites 
of the body, and the lusts of the flesh : reason has not the government 
of passion. The work of such a person, is to make provision for the 

flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof, chap. xiii. 14. He minds the things 


bt 2 tow. Cooma Y . e ies “ 


ROMANS.—CHAP. VII. 167 


15 For, that which I do, I *allow not: for, © what I 
would, that do I not ; but what | hate, that do I. 


aGr. know, Psa. 1. 6.—> Gal. 5.17. 


of the flesh, chap. vill. 5. He is at enmity with God. In all these 
thiags the spiritual man is the reverse ;. he lives in a state of friend- 
ship with God in Christ, and the Spirit of God dwells in him ; his 
soul has dominion over the appetites of the body and the lusts of the 
flesh; his passions submit to the government of reason; and he, by 
the Spirit mortifies the deeds of the flesh; he mindeth the things of 
the Spirit, chap. viii. 5. The Scriptures, therefore, place these two 
characters in direct opposition to each other. Now, the apostle 
begins this passage by informing us that it is his carnal state that he 
is about to describe, in opposition to the spirituality of God’s holy 
law, saying, But [ am carnal. 

Those who are of another opinion, maintain that by the word car-- 
nal here, the apostle meant that corruption, which dwelt in him after 
his conversion: but this opinion is founded on a very great mistake ; 
for, although there may be, after justification, the remains of the 
carnal mind, which will be less or more felt, till the soul is com- 
pletely sanctified ; yet the man is never denominated from the infe- 
rior principle, which is under control, but from the superior princi- 
ple, which habitually prevails. Whatever epithets are given to 
corruption or sin in Scripture, opposite epithets are given to grace 
or holiness. By these different epithets, are the unregenerate and 
regenerate denominated. From all this it follows, that the epithet 
carnal, which is the characteristic designation of au unregenate man, 
cannot be applied to St. Paul, after his conversion; nor indeed, to 
any Christian in that state. 

But the word carnal, though used by the apostle to signify a state 
of death and enmity against God, is not sufficient to denote all the 
evil of the state which he is describing; hence, he adds, sold under 
sin. This is one of the strongest expressions which the Spirit of Ged 
uses in Scripture, to describe the full depravity of fallen man. It 
implies a willing slavery : Ahab-had sold himself lo werk evil, 1 Kings 
xxi. 20. And of the Jews it is said, in their utmost depravity, Be- 
hold, for your iniquities ye have sold yourselves, Isa. i. 1. They for- 
sook the holy covenant, and joined themselves to the heathen, and were 
sold to do mischief, 1 Maccab.i. 15. Now, if the word caraal, ia its 
strongest sense, had been sufficien‘ly significant of ail he meant, why 
add to this charge another expression still stronger? We must 
therefore understand the phrase, sold under sin, as implying that 
the soul was emoloyed in the drudzery of sin; that it was sold over 
to this service, and had no power to disobey this tyraat, until it was 
redeemed by another. And if a man be actmally sold t» another, 
and he acquiesce in the deed; then he becomes the legal property 
of that other person. This state of bondage was well known to the 
Romans. The sale of slaves they saw daily, and could not misun~ 


168 ROMANS.—CHAP. VII. 


, 16 If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto 
the law that it is good. 


derstand the emphatical sense of this expression. Sin is here repre- 
sented as a person; and the apostle compares the dominion which 
sin has over the man in question, to that of a master over his legal 
slave. Universally through the Scriptures, man is said to be ina 
state of bondage to sin, until the Son of God make him free: but 
in no part of the Sacred Writings is it ever said that the children of 
God are sold under sin.—Christ came to deliver the lawful captive, 
and take away the prey from the mighty. Whom the Son maketh 
Sree, they are free indeed. Then, they yield not up their members as 
instruments of unrighteousness unto sin : for sin shall not have the do- 
minion aver them ; because the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus, 
has made them free from the law of sin and death, chap. vi. 13, 14. 
and viii. 2. Anciently, when regular cartels were not known, the 
captives became the slaves of their victors, and by them were sold to 
any purchaser; their slavery was as complete and perpetual, as if 
the slave had resigned his own liberty, and sold himself: the laws of 
the land secured him to his master; he could not redeem himself 
because he had nothing that was his own, and nothing could rescue 
him from that state, but a stipulated redemption. The apostle 
speaks here, not of the manner in which the person in question be- 
came a slave; he only asserts the fact, that sin had a full and per- 
mavent dominion over him. See Smith, on the carnal man’s cha- 
racter. : 

I am carnal, sold under sin—I have been the more particular in 
ascertaining the genuine sense of this verse, because it determines 
the general scope of the whole passage. , 

Verse 15. For, that which I do, I allow not, &c.] The first clause 
of this verse is a general assertion concerning the employment of the 
person in question, in the state which the apostle calls carnal, and 
sold under sin. The Greek word zategyaGoues, which is here 
translated, J do, means a work which the agent continues to perform, 
till it is finished, and is used by the apostle, Phil. ii, 12. to denote 
the continued employment of God’s saints in his service to the end 
of their lives. Work out your own salvation; the word here de~ 
notes an employment of a different kind; and therefore the man 
who now feels the galling dominion of sin, says, What 1 am continu- 
ally labouring at, 1 allow not: cv ysworxa, I do not acknowledge to 
be right, just, holy, or profitable. 

But what I hate, that do J.| I ama slave, and under the absolute 
control of my tyrannical master, I hate his service, but am obliged 
to work his will. Who, without blasphemy, can assert that the 
apostle is speaking this of a man in whom the Spirit of the Lord 
dwells? From ver. 7. to this one, the apostle, says Dr. Taylor, de- 
notes the Jew in the flesh, by a single J; here he divides that J into ~ 
two J’s, or figurative persons ; representing two different and oppo- 
site principles which were in him. The one J, or principle, assents 


ROMANS.—CHAP. VII. 169 


17 Now then, it is no more I that do it, * but sin that 
dwelleth in me. 


aCh. 8.9. Acts 26. 18. 


to the law that it is good: and wills and chooses what the other does 
not practise, ver. 16. This principle he expressly tells us, ver. 22. 

is the inward man, the law of the mind, ver. 23. the mind, or ra- 
tional faculty, ver. 25. for he could find no other inward man, or 
law of the mind, but the rational faculty, in a person who was car- 
nal, and sold under sin. The other J, or principle, transgresses the 
law, ver. 23, and does those things which the former principle al- 
lows not. This principle he expressly tells us, ver. 18. is the flesh, 
the law in the members, or sensual appetite, ver. 23. and he con- 
cludes in the last verse that these two principles were opposite to 
each other; therefore it is evident, that those two principles, re- 
siding and counteracting each other in the same person, are reason 
and lust; or sin that dwells in us. And it is very easy to distinguish 
these two J’s, or principles, in every part of this elegant description 
of iniquity, domineering over the light and remonstrances of reason. 
For instance, ver. 17. JVow then, itis no more I that do tt, but sin that 
dwellethin me. The I, he speaks of here, is opposed to indwelling or 
governing sin: and therefore plainly denotes the principle of reason, 
the inward man, or law of the mind: in which, | add, a measure of 
the light of the Spirit of God shines: in order to show the sinfulness 
of sin. These two different principles he calls, one flesh, and the 
other spirit; Gal. v. 17. where he speaks of their contrariety in the 
same manner that he does here. 

And we may give a probable reason why the apostle dwells so 
long upon the struggle and opposition between these two principles; 
it appears intended to answer a tacit but very obvious objection. 
The Jew might allege, “ But the law is holy and spiritual; and I 
assent to it as good, asa right rule of action which ought to be ob- 
served; yea, Testeem it highly ; I glory and rest in it, ‘convinced of 
its truth and excellency. And, is not this enough to constitute the 
law a sufficient principle of sanctification ?’’ The apostle answers, 
“No; wickedness is consistent with a sense of truth. A man may 
assent to the best rule of action, and yet still be under the dominion 
of lust and sin; from which nothing can deliver him but a principle 
and power proceeding from the Fountain of life.” 

The sentiment in this verse may be illustrated by quotations from 
the ancient heathens ; many of whom felt themselves in precisely the 
same state, (and expressed it in nearly the same language,) which 
some most monstrously tell us, was the state of this heavenly apostle, 
when vindicating the claims of the Gospel against those of the Jew- 
ish ritual! Thus Ovip describes the conduct of a depraved man :— 


Sed trahit invitam nova vis, aliudque cupido; 
Mens aliud suadet. Video meliora, proboque ; 


Deteriora sequor. 
' Ovip, Met, lib. vii. ver. 19: 
15 


OS La ee 


“Ss 


170 ROMANS.—CHAP. VII. 


18 For! know that * in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwell- 
eth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but 
how to perform that which is good, I find not. ' 


a Gen. 6. 5, & 8. Qh. 


My reason this, my passion that persuades ; 
I see the right, and I approve it too ; 
Condemn the wrong, and yet the wrong pursue. 


indignum facinus ! nunc ego et 

Illam scelestam esse, et me miserum sentio: 

Et tedet, et amore ardeo : et prudens et sciens, 

Vivus, vidensque pereo: nec quid agam scio. 

Trent. Eun. ver. 70. 
Anunworthyact! Now I perceive that she is wicked, and f am wretched. 

1 burn with love, and am vexed at it. Although prudent, and intelligent, 
aod active, and seeing, I perish: neither do 1 know what to do. 


Sed quia mente minus validus, quam corpore toto 
Que nocuere sequar ; fugiam, que profore credam. 
Hor. Ep. lib. i. E. 8. ver. 7. 
More in my mind than body lie my pains: 
Whate’er may hurt me, I with joy pursue ; 
Whate’er may do me good, with horror view. 
Francis. 


Exet pap 0 auapravay ov Gers ake ravely, ara xaTopy@ras* 
Anroy ort, o MeV Tere, OU Foss, Kao MH sacs, wate. 
Arrian, Epist. ii. 26. 

For truly he who sins, does not will sin, but wishes to walk uprightly; yet 
it ig manifest that what he wills he doth not: and what he doth he wills not. 
————-2AAa vinx@udi HAKObS, ; . 
Kat mavdava pey ole TOT xexe? ire j 
Oupos de xeicoav gaveuwy Covrasumarw@py 
Oowep ueyiswy aitios xanwy Beorcss. ; 


Evair. Med. v. 1077- 
2 Se But I am overcome by sin, 

And I well understand the eyil which | presume to commit. 
Passion, however, is more powerful than my reason ; 

Which is the cause of the greatest evils to mortal men. 


Thus we find that enlightened heathens, both among the Greels 
and Romans, had that same kind of religious experience; which 
some suppose to be, not only the experience of St. Paul in his best 
state; but te be even the standard of Christian attainments! See 
more examplesin Wetstein. _ f 

The whole spirit of the sentiment is well summed up and expressed 
by St. Chrysostom : cray tives exiSuuamer, tire xwavameda, esperar | 
earroy rus emibuusac a grck> If we lust after any thing, which is 
afterward prohibited, the flame of this desire burns the more fiercely. 

Verse 16. If then I do that which I would not, &c.] Knowing that 
the law condemns it, and that, therefore, it must be evil; I consent 


t 
‘ 


ROMANS.—CHAP. VII. 171 


19 For, the * good that I would, I do not: but the evil 
which I would not, that I do. 


Z a Ver. 15. 


unto the law; I show by this circumstance, that I acknowledge the 
law to be good. 

Verse 17. Now then, it is no more I] It is not that I, which con- 
stitutes reason and conscience; but sin, corrupt and sensual inclina- 
tions, that dwelleth in me: that have the entire domination over my 
reason; darkening my understanding, and perverting my judgment 5 
for which there is condemnation in the law, but no cure. So we 
find here that there is a principle, in the unregenerate man, stronger 
than reason itself: a principle which is, properly speaking, not of 
the essence of the soul, but acts in it, as its lord; or as a tyrant. 
This is inbred, and indwelling sin, the seed of the serpent ; by which 
the whole soul is darkened, confused, perverted, and excited to re- 
bellion against God. 

Verse 18. For I know that in me, &c.| 1 have learned, by expe- 
rience, that in an unregenerate man, there isno good. There is no 
principle by which the soul can be brought into the light; no prin- 
ciple by which it can be restored to purity: fleshly appetites alone 
prevail; and the brute runs away with the man. 

For to will is present with me] Though the whole soul has suffered 
indescribably by the fail, yet there are some faculties that appear 
to have suffered less than others; or rather have received larger 
measures of the supernatural light, because their concurrence with 
the Divine principle is so necessary to the salvation of the soul. 
Even the most unconcerned about spiritual things, have understand- 
ing, judgment, reason, and will. And by means of these, we have 
seen even scoffers at Divine revelation, become very eminent in arts 
and sciences; some of our best metaphysicians, physicians, mathe- 
maticians, astronomers, chymists, &c. have been known, to their re- 
proach be it spoken and published, to be without religion ; nay, some 
of them have blasphemed it, by leaving God out of his own work, 
and ascribing to an idol of their own, whom they call nature, the 
operations of the wisdom, power, and goodness, of the Most High. 
It is true that many of the most eminent in all the above branches 
of knowledge, have been conscientious believers in Divine revela- 
tion: but the case of the others proves, that fallen as man is, he yet 
possesses extraordinary powers; which are capable of very high 
cultivation and improvement. In short, the soul seems capable of 
any thing, but knowing, fearing, loving, and serving God. And it 
is not only incapable of itself, for any truly religious acts; but what 
shows its fall in the most indisputable manner, is, its enmity to sa~ 
cred things. Let an unregenerate man pretend what he pleases, 
his conscience knows that he hates religion; his soul revolts against 
it; his carnal mind is not subject to the law of God neither indeed 
can it be. There is no reducing this fell principle to subjection : it is 


aT eee wees 


172 ROMANS.—CHAP. Vil. 


20 * Now, if I do that I would not, » itis no more I that 
do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. : 


a Ver. 16.— Ver. 23. 


sin, and sin is rebellion against God ; therefore sin must be destroyed, 
not subjected ; if subjected, it would cease to be sin; because sin is 
in opposition to God; hence the apostle says, most conclusively, it 
cannot be subjected; i. e. it must be destroyed, or it will destroy 
the soul for ever. 

When the apostle says, to will is present with me, he shows that 
the will is on the side of God and truth; so far, that it consents to 
the propriety and necessity of obedience. There has been a strange 
clamour raised up against this faculty of the soul, as if the very 
essence of evil dwelt in it; whereas, the apostle shows, throughout 
this chapter, that the will was regularly on God’s side, while every 
other faculty appears to have been in hostility to him. The truth 
is, men have confounded the will with the passions ; and laid to the 
charge of the former what properly belongs to the latter. The will 
is right, but the passions are wrong. It discerns and approves, but 
is without ability to perform : it has no power over sensual appetites; 
in these the principle of rebellion dwells: it nills evil, it wills good, 
but can only command through the power of Divine grace: but this, 
the person in question, the unregenerate man, has not received, 

Verse 19. For the good that I would, I do not} Here again is the 
most decisive proof that the will is on the side of God and truth. 

But the evil which I would not] And here is equally decisive 
proof that the will is against, or opposed to evil. There is nota 
man in ten millions who will carefully watch the operations of this 
faculty, that will find it opposed to good, and obstinately attached to 
evil, as is generally supposed. Nay, it is found almost uniformly on 
God’s side, while the whole sensual system is against him. It is not 
the will that leads men astray ; but the corrupt passions which op- 
pose and oppress the will. It is truly astonishing into what endless 
mistakes men have fallen on this point, and what systems of divinity 
have been builded on these mistakes. The will, this almost only 
friend to God in the human soul, has been slandered as God’s worst 
enemy : and even by those who had the seventh chapter to the Ro- 
mans before their eyes! Nay, it has been considered so fell a foe to 
God and goodness, that it is bound in the adamantine chains of a dire 
necessity, to do evil only : and the doctrine of will, (absurdly called 
free will, as if will did not essentially imply what is free,) has been 
considered one of the most destructive heresies. Let such persons 
put themselves to school to their Bibles, and to common sense. 

The plain state of the case is this: the soul is so completely fallen, 
that it has no power to do good, till it receive that power from on 
high. But it has power to see good, to distinguish between that and 
evil; to acknowledge the excellence of this good, and to will it, 
from a conviction of that excellence; but fartheritcannotgo. Yet, 


ROMANS.—CHAP. VII. 173 


21 I find then 2 a law, that, when I would do good, evil 
is present with me. 


aCh. 8,2. Gal. 5. 17. 


5 


in various cases, it is solicited, and consents to sin ; and because it is 
will, that is, because it is a free principle, it must necessarily pos- 
sess ‘this power ; and although it can do no ‘good, unless it receive 
grace from God; yet it is impossible to force it tosin. Even Satan 
himself cannot do this ; ; and before he can get it to sin, he must gain 
its consent. Thus, God in his endless mercy, has endued this faculty 
with a power in which, humanly speaking, resides the salvability of 
the soul; and without ‘this, the soul must have eternally continued 

under the power of sin, or been saved as an inert, absolutely passive 
machine; which supposition would go as meaaly to prove that it was 
as incapable of vice, as it were of virtue. 

“ But does not this arguing destroy the doctrine of free grace?”’ 
No! it establishes that doctrine. 1. It is through the grace, the un- 
merited kindness of God, that the soul has such | a faculty, and that it 
has not been extinguished by sin. 2. This will, though a free prin- 
ciple, as it respects its nilling of evil, and choosing good ; yet, pro- 
perly speaking, has no power by which it can subjugate the evil, or 
perform the good. We know that the eye has a power to discern 
objects: but without light, this power is perfectly useless; and no 
object can be discerned by it. So, of the person represented here 
by the apostle, it is said, fo will is present wilh me, ro yap Bercy 3e- 
paxerrat ot. To will is ever in readiness, it is ever at hand, it lies 
actantiy before me: but how to perform that which is good, I find 

: that is, the man is unregenerate : and he is seeking justification 
and holiness from the law. The law was never designed to give 
these ; it gives the knowledge, not the cure of sin: therefore, though 
he nills evil, and wills good : yet he can neither conquer the one, 
nor perform the other, till he receives the grace of Christ; till he 
seeks and finds redemption in his blood. Here then, the free agency 
of man is preserved, without which he could not be in a salvable 
state: and the honour of the grace of Christ is maintained, without 
which there can be no actual salvation. There is a good sentiment: 
on this subject in the following words of an eminet poet : 


Thou great first Cause, least understood ; 
Who all my sense confined 

To know but this, that thou art good : 
And that myself am blind. 


Yet gave me in this dark estate 
To see the good from ill; 

And binding nature fast in fate, 
Left free the human will. 


Porr’s Universal Prayer. 


Verse 20. It is no more I] My will is against it; my reason and 
conscience condemn it. But sin that dwelleth im me—The principle 


or 


ba pie? Ts oer lC 


174 ROMANS.—CHAP. VII. 


22 For I * delight in the law of God after » the inward — 
man : 


aPsa. 1, 2.—b 2 Cor. 4. 16. Eph. 3.16. Col. 3. 9, 10. 


< 


of sin, which has possessed itself of all my carnal appetites and pas- 
sions, and thus subjects my reason, and domineers over my soul. 
Thus, 1 am in perpetual contradiction to myself. Two princples 
are continually contending in me for the mastery; my reason, on 
which the light of God shines, to show what is evil; and my pas- 
sions, in which the principle of sin works, to bring forth fruit unto 
death. 

This strange self-contradictory propensity led some of the ancient 
philosophers to imagine, that man has two souls, a good and a bad 
one; and it is on this principle that Xenophon, in his life of Cyrus 
causes Araspes, a Persian nobleman, to account for some miscon- 
duct of his, relative to Panthea, a beautiful female captive, whom 
Cyrus had entrusted to his care. “O Cyrus, I am convinced 
that I have two souls: if] had but one soul, it could not, at the same 
time, pant after vice and virtue: wish and abhor the same thing. 
It is certain, therefore, that we have two souls: when the good soul 
rules, I undertake noble and virtuous actions: but when the bad 
soul predominates, I am constrained to do evil. All I can say at 
present is, that I find my good soul, encouraged by thy presence, has 
got the better of my bad soul.”? See Spectator, Vol. VIII. No. 564. 
Thus, not only the ancients, but also many moderns have trifled, and 
all will continue to do so, who do not acknowledge the scriptural ac- 
count of the fall of man, and the lively comment upon that doctrine, 
contained in the seventh chapter of the epistle to the Romans. 

Verse 21. I find then a law] Iam in such a condition and state 
of soul; under the power of such habits and sinful propensities, that 
when I would do good: when my will and reason are strongly bent 
on obedience to the law of God, and opposition to the principle of 
sin: evil is present with me, raxcv ragaxerras, evil is at hand, it lies 
constanily before me. That, as the will to do good is constantly at 
hand, ver. 18. so the principle of rebellion exciting me to sin, is 
equally present: but as the one is only will, wish, and desire, with- 
out power to do what is willed, to obtain what is wished, or to per- 
form what is desired, sin continually prevails. 

The word voc, law, in this verse, must be taken as implying any 
strong or confirmed habit, cvv6e:ev, as Hesychius renders it, under 
the influence of which the man generally acts; and in this sense, 
the apostle most evidently uses it in ver. 23. 

Verse 22. I delight in the law of God after the inward man] Every 
Jew, and every unregenerate man, who receives the Old Testament 
as a revelation from God,. must acknowledge the great purity, ex- 
cellence, and utility of its maxims, &c. though he will ever find, that 
without the grace of our Lord Jesus, he can never act according to 
those heavenly maxims; and without the mercy of God, can never - 


ROMANS.—CHAP. VII. 175 


_23 But #1 see another law in >my members, warring 
against the law of my mind, and bringing me into © capti- 
vity to the law of sin which is in my members. 


ss ET 
a Gal. 5. 17.—> Ch. 6.13, 19.—c Ch. 8.7. & 12.2. Eph. 4, 23. James 4.1. 


be redeemed from the curse entailed upon him for his past trans- 
gressions. To say that the inward man means the regenerate part 
of the soul, is supportable by no argument. ‘O eco avOgaroc, and 
6 eves aySeomrcs, especially the latter, are expressions frequently 
in use among the purest Greek ethic writers, to signify the soul er 
rational part of man in opposition to the body of flesh: see the quo- 
tations in Wetstein from Plato and Plotinus. The Jews have the 
same form of expression; so in Yalcut Rubeni, fol. 10. 3. it is said, 
The flesh is the inward garment of the man; but the spirit is the in- 
ward man, the garment of which is the body: and St. Paul uses the 
phrase in precisely the same sense, in 2 Cor. iv, 16. and in Eph. iii, 
16. Ifit be said, that it is impossible for an unregenerate man tp 
delight in the law of God, the experience of millions contradicts the 
assertion. Every true penitent admires the moral law: longs most 
earnestly for a conformity to it; and feels that he can never be sat- 
isfied till he awakes up after this divine likeness ; and he hates him- 
self, because he feels that he has broken it, and that his evil passions 
are still in a state of hostility to it. 

The following observations of a pious and sensible writer on this 
subject cannot be unacceptable. ‘‘’The inward man always signiftes 
the mind; which either may, or may not, be the subject of grace, 
That which is asserted of either the inward or outward man, is often 
performed by one member or power, and not with the whole. If 
any member of the body perform an action, we are said to do it with 
the body, although the other members be not employed. In like 
manner if any power or faculty of the mind be employed about any 
action, the soul is said to act. This expression, therefore, J delight 
in the law of God after the inward man, can mean no more than this, 
that there are some inward faculties in the soul, which delight in the 
law of God. This expression is particularly adapted to the princi- 
ples of the Pharisees, of whom St. Paul was one before his conver- 
sion. They received the law as the oracles of God, and confezsef 
that it deserved the most serious regard. Their veneration was in- 
spired by a sense of its original, and a full conviction that it was 
true. To some parts of it they paid the most superstitious regard. 
They had it written upon their phylacteries, which they carried 
about with them at alltimes. It was often read and expounded in 
their synagogues: and they took delight in studying its precepts. 
On that account, both the prophets and our Lord agree in saying, 
that they delighted in the law of God, though they regarded not its 
chief and most essential precepts.” See farther observations on this 
point at the end of the chapter. 

So far, then, is it from being true, that none but a regenerate man 


ite ROMANS.—CHAP. VII. 


24 Owretched man that I am! who shall deliver me 
from * the body of this death ? 


a Or, this body of death. 


can delight in the law of God, we find that even a proud, unhum- 
bled Pharisee can do it: and much more a poor sinner, who is hum- 
bled under a sense of his sin, and sees, in the light of God, not only 
the spirituality, but the excellence of the divine law. 

Verse 23. But I see another law in my members| ‘Though the per- 
son in question is less or more under the continual influence of rea- 
son and conscience, which offer constant testimony against sin; yet, 
as long as help is sought only from the law, and the grace of Christ 
in the Gospel is not received, the remonstrances of reason and con- 
science are rendered of no effect by the prevalence of sinful passions ; 
which, from repeated gratifications have acquired all the force of 
habit; and now give law to the whole carnal man. 

Warring against the law of my mind] There is an allusion here 
to the case of a city besieged, at last taken by storm, and the inha- 
bitants carried away into captivity; avrsseztevomevcy, Carrying on 
a system of warfare, layiug continual siege to the soul; repeating in- 
cessantly its attacks; harrassing, battering, and storming the spirit ; 
and, by all these assaults, reducing the man to extreme misery. 
Never was a picture more impressively drawn, and more effectually 
finished; for the next sentence shows, that this spiritual city was at 
last taken by storm, and the inhabitants who survived the sackage, 
led into the most shameful, painful, and oppressive captivity. 

Bringing me into captivity to the law of sin] He does not here 
speak of an occasional advantage gained by sin, it was a complete 
and final victory gained by corruption; which having stormed and 
reduced the city, carried away the inhabitants, with irresistible 
force, into captivity. This is the consequence of being overcome ; 
he was now in the hands of the foe, as the victor’s lawful captive ; 
and this is the import of the original word, asy~uarariGovre 5 and 
is the very term used by cur Lord, when speaking of the final ruin, 
dispersion, and captivity of the Jews, he says, a:yuaroricSncoyras, 
they shall be led away captives, into all the nations, Luke xxi. 24. 
When all this is considered, who in his right mind, can apply it to 
the holy soul of the apostle of the Gentiles? Is there any thing in 
it that can belong to his gracious state? Surely, nothing. The 
basest slave of sin, who has any remaining checks of conscience, 
cannot be brought into a worse state than that described here by the 
apostle. Sin and corruption have a final triumph; and conscience 
and reason are taken prisoners, laid in fetters, and sold for slaves. 
Can this ever be said of a man in whom the Spirit of God dwells; 
and whom the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus, has made free 
Srom the law of sin and death? See chap. viii. 2. 

Verse 24. O wretched man that I am, &c.] This affecting account 
‘8 fished more impressively by the groans of the wounded eaptive. 


a 
' : 


ROMANS.—CHAP. VII. 17, 


25 *I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Se 
then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but 
with the flesh the law of sin. 


nr 2 md 
2 pally. a1 Cor. 15. 57. 


Having long maintained a useless conflict against innumerable hosts 
and irresistible might, he is at last wounded and taken prisoner } 
and, to render his state more miserable, is not only encompassed by 
the slaughtered, but chained to a dead body ; for there seems to be 
here ap allusion to an ancient custom of certain tyrants, who bound 
a dead body to a living man, and obliged him to carry it about, till 
the contagion from the putrid mass took away his life! Virgil paints 
this in all its horrors, in the account he gives of the tyrant Mezens 
tius. A®neid, lib. viii. ver. 485. 


Quid memorem infandas czedes, quid facta tyranni— 
Mortua quin etiam jungebat corpora vivis, 
Componens manibusque manus, atque oribus ora 
Tormenti genus! et sanie taboque fluentis 
Complexu in misero, longa, sic morte necabat. 
What tongue can such barbarities record, 
Or count the slaughters of his ruthless sword ? 
*Twas not enough the good, the guiltless bled, 
Still worse, he bound the living to the dead : 
These, limb to limb, and face to face he join’d ; 
Oh! monstrous crime, of unexampled kind ! 
Till chok’d with stench, the lingering wretches lay, 
And, in the loath’d embraces, died away ! 

Pitt. 


Servius remarks, in his comment on this passage, that Sanies, mor= 
tui est; tabo viventis scilicet sanguis: ‘the sanies, or putrid ichor, 
from the dead body, produced the tabes in the blood of the living.” 
Roasting, burning, racking, crucifying, &c. were nothing, when 
compared to this diabolically invented punishment. 

We may naturally suppose that the cry of such a person would be, 
Wretched man that Iam, who shall deliver me from this dead body ? 
And how well does this apply to the case of a person to whom the 
apostle refers? A body, a whole mass of sin and corruption was 
bound to his soul, with chains which he could not break; and the 
mortal contagion transfused through his whole nature, was pressing 
him down to the bitter pains of an eternal death. He now finds that 
the law can afford him no deliverance; and he despairs of help from 
any human being: but while he is emitting his last, or almost expi- 
ring groan, the redemption by Christ Jesus is proclaimed to him; and 
if the apostle refers to his own case, Ananias unexpectedly accosts 
him with, Brother Saul! the Lord Jesus; who hath appeared unto thee 
im the way, hath sent me unto thee, that thou mightest receive thy sight, 
and be filled with the Holy Ghost. He sees then an open door of hope ; - 
and he immediately, though but in the prospect of this deliverance, 


Ley , % so ee 
178 ROMANS.—CHAP. VII. 


returns God thanks for the well-grounded hope which he has of sal- 
vation through Jesus Christ our Lord. ; 

Verse 25. I thank God through Jesus Christ] Instead of ey aersw, 
tw Qzm, I thank God; several excellent MSS. with the Valeate, 
some copies of the Itala, and several of the Fathers, read y yze:c 
Tov Oeov, or rov Kuetov, the grace of God, or the grace of our Lord 
Jesus Christ ; this is an answer to the almost despairing question in 
the preceding verse. The whole, therefore, may be read thus: 
O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from. the body of this 
death2 ANSwER—The grace of God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 
Thus we find, that a case of the kind described by the apostle in the 
preceding verses, whether it were his own, before he was brought 
to the knowledge of Christ, particularly during the three days that 
he was at Damascus, without being able to eat or drink, in deep 
peniteutial sorrow ; or whether he personates a Pharisaic, yet con- 
scientious Jew, deeply concerned for his salvation; I sa rT, we find 
that such a case can be relieved by the Gospel of Christ only : or, in 
other words, that no scheme of redemption can be effectual to the 
salvation of any soul, whether Jew or Gentile, but that laid down in 
the Gospel of Christ. : 

Let any, or all means be used, which human wisdom can devise, 
guilt will still continue uncancelled ; and inbred sin will laugh them 
all to scorn, prevail over them, and finally triumph. And this is the 
very conclusion to which the apostle brings his argument in the fol- 
lowing clause; which, like the rest of the chapter, has been most aw- 
fully abused, to favour anti-evangelical purposes. 

So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God| That this 
clause contains the inference from the preceding train of argumenta- 
tion, appears evident from the ae cuv, therefore, with which the 
apostle introduces it. As if he had said—* To conclude: the sum of 
what I have advanced, concerning the power of sin in the carnal manj 
and the utter insufficiency of all human means, and legal observan- 
ces, to pardon sin, and expel the corruption of the heart, is this, that 
the very same person, the autres ey, the same J, while without the 
Gospel, under the killing power of the law, will find in himself two 
opposite principles, the one subscribing to, and approving the law o 
God: and the other, notwithstanding, bringing him into captivity to 
sin: his inward man, his rational powers and conscience, will assent 
to the justice and propriety of the requisitions of the law; and yet, 
notwithstanding this, his fleshly appetites, the law in his members, 
will war against the law of his mind, and continue, till he receives 
the Gospel of Christ, to keep him in the galling captivity of sin and 
death.”? 


1. The strong expressions in this clause have led many to con- 
élude, that the apostle himeelf, in his regenerated state, is indisputa- 
bly the person intended. That all that is said in this chapter, of the 
carnal man, sold under sin, did apply to Saul of Tarsus, no man can 
dbubt: that what ishere said can ever be, with propriety, applied to 


ROMANS CHAP. VII. 179 


Paul the apostle, who can believe? Ofthe former, allisnatural; of 
the latter, all here said would be monstrous, and absurd, if not blas- 
phemous. 

2. But itis supposed that the words must be understood as implying 
a regenerate man, because the apostle says, ver. 22. I delight in the 
law of God; and in this verse, I myself, with the mind, serve the law 
of God. These things, say the objectors, cannot be spoken of a 
wicked Jew, but of a regenerate man, such as the apostle then was. 
But when we find that the former verse speaks of a man who is 
brought into captivity to the law of sin and death ; surely there is no 
part of the regenerate state of the apostle to which the words can pos- 
sibly apply. Had he been in captivity to the law of sin and death, after 
his conversion to Christianity, what did he gain by that conversion? 
Nothing, for his personal holiness... He had found no salvation under 
an inefficient law; and he was left in thraldom under an equally in- 
efficient Gospel. The very genius of Christianity demonstrates that 
nothing like this can, with any propriety, be spoken of a genuine 
Christian. 

3. But, it is farther supposed, that these things cannot be spoken of 
a proudor wicked Jew; yet we learn the contrary from the infallible 
testimony of the word of God. Of this people, in their fallen and ini-~ 
quitous state, God says by his prophet, They sEEK me DAILY, and 
DELIGHT to know my way as a nation that did RIGHTEOUSNESS, and 
FORSOOK not the ORDINANCES Of their God; they ask me of the ordi- 
nances of JUSTICE, and TAKE DELIGHT inapproaching to God. Isa. 
Iviii, 2. Can any thing be stronger than this? And yet, at that 
time, they were most dreadfully carnal, and sold under sin, as the 
rest of that chapter proves. It is a most notorious fact, that how lit- 
tle soever the life of a Jew was conformed to the law of his God, he 
notwithstanding professed the highest esteem for it, and gloried in it ; 
and the apostle says nothing stronger of them in this chapter, than 
their conduct and profession verify to the present day. They are 
still delighting in the law of God, after the inward man; with their 
mind, serving the law of God; asking for the ordinances of justice, 
seeking God daily, and taking delight in approaching to God; they 
even glory,and greatly exult and glory in the Divine original and ex- 
cellency of their raw; and all this while they dre most abominably 
carnal, sold under sin, and brought into the most degrading captivity to 
the lawofsinand death. If then all that the apostle states of the per- 
son in question, be true of the Jews, through the whole period of their 
history, even to the present time ; if they do, in all their professions 
and their religious services, which they zealously maintain, confess, 
and conscientiously too, that the law is holy, and the commandment 
holy, just, and good; and yet, with their flesh serve the law of sin; 
the same certainly may be said with equal propriety of a Jewish 
penitent, deeply convinced of his lost estate, and the total insuffi. 
ciency of his legal observances to deliver him from his body of sin 
and death. And consequently, all this may be said of Paul the Jew, 
while going about to establish hi own righteousness, his own plan of . 


180 ROMANS.—CHAP. VII. 


justification; he had not as yet submitted to the righteousness of 
God, the divine plan of redemption by Jesus Christ. 

4. It must be allowed that, whatever was the experience of so 
eminent a man, Christian, and apostle as St. Paul, it must be a very 
proper standard of Christianity. And if we are take what is here said, 
as his experience as a Christian, it would be presumption in us to ex- 
pect to go higher, for he certainly had pushed the principles of his 
religion to their utmost consequences. But his whole life, and the 
account which he immediately gives of himself in the succeeding chap- 
ter, prove, that he, as a Christian, and an apostle, had a widely dif- 
ferent experience ; an experience which amply justifies that superi- 
ority, which he attributes to the Christian religion over the Jewish ; 
and demonstrates that it is not only well calculated to perfect all 
preceding dispensations; but that it affords salvation to the utter- 
most, to all those who flee for refuge to the hope that it sets before 
them. Besides, there is nothing spoken here of the state of a consci- 
entious Jew, or of St. Paul in his Jewish state, that is not true of ev- 
ery genuine penitent; even before, and it may be, long before he has 
believed in Christ, to the saving of his soul, The assertion, that 
“every Christian, howsoever advanced in the divine life, will, and 
must feel all this inward conflict,’’ &c. isas untrue as it is danger- 
ous. That many, called Christians, and probably sincere, do feel all 
this, may be readily granted; and such we must consider to be in 
the eame state with Saul of Tarsus, previously to his conversion: but 
that they must continue thus, is no where intimated in the Gos- 
pel of Christ. We must take heed how we make our experience, 
which is the result of our unbelief and unfaithfulness, the standard 
for the people of God: and lower down Christianity to our most re- 
prehensible and dwarfish state: at the same time, we should not be 
discouraged at what we thus feel, but apply to God, through Christ, 
as Paul did; and then we shall soon be able, with him, to declare, to 
the eternal glory of God’s grace, that the law of the Spirit of life in 
Christ Jesus, has made us free from the Jaw of sin and death. This 
is the inheritance of God’s children; and their salvation is of me, 
saith the Lord. ; 

I cannot conclude these observations, without recommending unio 
the notice of my readers a learned and excellent discourse on the lat- 
ter part of this chapter, preached by the Rey. James Smith, a 
of the Gospel in Dumfermline, Scotland, a work to which I am in- 
debted for some useful observations, and from which I should have 
been glad to have copied much, had my limits permitted. Reader, 
do not plead for Baal; try, fully try, the efficiency of the blood of the 
covenant ; and be not-content with less salvation than God has pro- 
vided for thee. Thou art not straitened in God, be not straitened in 
thy own bowel. a ee 


_~o Oe 


i’ f 
ao os 
y er ® 


ROMANS.—CHAP. VIII. 161 


CHAPTER VIII. 


The happy state of those who believe in Christ, and walk under the influ- 
ence of His Spirit, 1, 2. The design of God in sending his Son into the 
world, was to redeem men from sin, 3, 4. The miserable state of the car- 
nally minded, 5—8. . How Christ lives and works in his followers ; their 
blessedness here, and their happiness hereafter, 9—17. Sufferings are the 
common lot of all men, and from which Gentiles and Jews have the hope of 
being finally delivered, 18—23. The use and importance of hope, 24, 25. 
The Spirit makes intercession in the followers of Christ, 26, 27. All 
things work together for good to them that love God, and who act ac- 
cording to his gracious purpose in calling them, 28. The means used . 
to bring men to eternal glory, 29, 30. ‘The great blessedness, confi- 
dence, and security’ of all genuine Christians, whom, while they hold 
oe faith and a good conscience, nothing can separate from the love of 

od, 31—39. 


a is, therefore, now no condemnation to them 
which are in Christ Jesus, who 2 walk not after the 
flesh, but after the Spirit. 


aVer. 4. Gal. 5. 16, 25. 


NOTES ON CHAPTER VIII. 


Verse 1. There is, therefore, now no condemnation] To do jus- 
tice to St. Paul’s reasoning, this chapter must be read in the closest 
connexion with the preceding. There, we have seen the unavailing 
struggles of an awakened Jew, who sought pardon and holiness from 
that law which he was conscious he had broken, and in which he 
could find no provision for pardon; and no power to sanctify. This 
conviction having brought him to the very brink of despair; and be- 
ing on the point of giving up all hope, he hears of redemption by Je- 
sus Christ, thanks God for the prospect he has of salvation, applies 
for, and receives it; and now magnifies God for the unspeakable gift 
of which he has been made a partaker. 

Those who restrain the word now, so as to indicate by it the Gos- 
pel dispensation only, do not take in the whole of the apostle’s mean- 
ing. ‘The apostle has not been dealing in general matters only, but 
also in those which are particular. He has not been pointing out 
merely the difference between the two dispensations, the Mosaic and 
the Christian ; but he marks out the state of a penitent under the 
former, and that of a believer under the latter. The last chapter 
closed with an account of the deep distress of the penitent: this one 
opens with an account of his salvation. The now, therefore, in the 
text, must refer more to the happy transition from darkness to light, 
from condemnation to pardon, which this believer now enjoys; than 
to the Christian dispensation takiug the place of the Jewish economy. 

Who walk not after the flesh, &c.] In this one verse we find the 
power and virtue of the Gospel scheme : it pardons and sanctifies; 
the Jewish law could do neither. By faith inour Lord Jesus Christ, 
the penitent, condemned by the law is pardoned; the carnal man, 
labouriog under the overpowering influence of the sin of his nature, 

16 


7% et Sle ae 
182 ROMANS.—CHAP., VIII. 


2 For *the law of » the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus, 
hath made me free from °¢ the law of sin and death. 

3 For “what the law could not do, in that it was weak 
through the flesh, ° God sending his own Son in the like- 
ness of sinful flesh, and ‘for sin, condemned sin in the 
flesh : 


a John 8. 36, Ch. 6. 18, 22. Gal. 2, 19. & 5, 1.—b1 Cor. 15. 45. 2 Cor.3.6.—cCh. 
7. 4, 25.—d Acts 13. 39. Ch. 3. 20. Heb. 7. 18, 19, & 10, 1, 2, 10, 14.—e Gal. 3. 


13. 2 Cor. 5..21.—f Or, by a sacrifice for sin. ou 
eeeeaaaaaeeeeSSSS868_‘.s.S—«—e———SaQasaSaSSaSas_44_-——— 
ie sanctified. He is first freely justified; he feels no condemnation ; 


he is fully sanctified, he walks not after the FLESH, but after the 
SPIRIT. 

This last clause is wanting in the principal MSS. Versions and Fa- 
thers. Griesbach has excluded it from the text, and Dr. White says, 
certissimé delenda, it should most undoubtedly be expunged. With- 
out it, the passage reads thus: There is, therefore no condemnation 
to them that arein Christ Jesus; for the law of the Spirit of life, &e. 
It is a fairly assumed point, that those which are in Christ Jesus, who 
believe in his name, have redemption in his blood; are made parta- 
kers of his Spirit, and have the mind in them that was in him; will 
not walk after the flesh but after the Spirit: therefore, the thing it- 
self is included in the being in Christ, whether it be expressed or 
mot; and it was probably to make the thing more obvious, that this 
explanatory clause was added by some copyist; for it does not ap- 
pear to have made an original part of the text: and it is most likely 
that it was inserted here from the fourth verse. ‘ 

Verse 2. For the law of the Spirit of life] The Gospel of the 
@race of Christ, which is not only a law or rule of life, but affords 
that sovereign energy by which guilt is removed from the conscience, 
the power of sin broken, and its polluting influence removed from the 
heart. The law was a spiritof death, by which those who were un- 
der it weré bonad down, because of their sin, to condemnation and 
death. ‘lhe Gospel proclaims Jesus the Saviour; and what the law 
bound unto death, 17 looses unto life eternal, And thus the apostle 
says, whether of himself or the man whom he is still personating, the 
‘law of the Spirit of life ia Christ Jesus hath made me free from the 
law ofsin anddeath. Most people allow that St. Paul is here speak- 
ing of his own state; and this state is so totally different from that 
described in the preceding chapter, that it is absolutely impossible 
that they should have been the state of the same being, at one 
and the same time. No creature could possibly be carnal, sold un- 
der ¢iu, brought into captivity to the law of sin and death; and at 
the same time be made free from that law of sin and death, by the 
law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus! Until the most palp ab- 
surdities and contradictions can be reconciled, these two opposite 
states can never exist in the same person at thesame time. = 

Verse 3. For what the law could not do| The law could not par- 
jon; the law couldsnot sanctify ; the !aw could not dispense with its 


i ee 


ROMANS.—CHAP. VIII. 183 


4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in 
us, ? who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. 

5 For, » they that are after the flesh do mind the things 
of the flesh : but they that are after the Spirit, © the things 
of the Spirit. 


a Ver. 1.—b John 3.6. 1 Cor. 2. 14.—c Gal. 5, 22, 25. 


own requisitions; it is the rule of righteousness, and therefore must 
condemn unrighteousness. This is its unalterable nature. Had 
there been perfect obedience to its dictates ; instead of condemning, it 
would have applauded and rewarded; but, as the flesh, the carnal 
and rebellious principle, had prevailed, and transgression had taken 
place; it was rendered weak, inefficient to undo this work of the 
flesh, and bring the sinner into a state of pardon and acceptance 
with God. 

God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh] Did that 
which the law could not do; i. e. purchased pardon for the sinner, 
and brought every believer into the favour of God. And this is 
effected by the incarnation of Christ; He in whom dwelt the fulness 
of the Godhead bodily, took upon him the likeness of sinful flesh, that 
is, a human body like ours; but not sinful as ours; and for sin, nae 
wept euaptiac, and as a sacrifice for sin, (this is the sense of the word 
in a multitude of places) condemned sin in the flesh; condemned that . 
to death and destruction, which had condemned us to both: and 
this he did— 

Verse 4. That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us] 
That the guilt might be pardoned through the merit of that sacrifice : 
and that we might be enabled, by the power of his own grace and 
Spirit, to walk in newness of life; loving God with all our heart, 
soul, mind, and strength; and our neighbour as ourselves; and thus 
the righteousness, the spirit, design, and purpose of the law, is ful- 
filled in us, through the strength of the Spirit of Christ, which is here 
put in opposition to the weakness of the law through the flesh. 

It is very likely that the concluding clause of this verse, which is 
the very same as that found in the common text of the first verse, 
has been transferred to that verse from this place. 

Condemned sin in the flesh] The design and object of the incar- 
nation and sacrifice of Christ were to condemn sin, to have it execu- 
ted and destroyed ; not to tolerate it, as some think; or to render it 
subservient to the purposes of his grace, as others; but to annihilate 
its power, guilt, and being, in the soul of a believer. 

Verse 5. For they that are after the flesh] And here is the great 
distinction between Jews and genuine Christians: the former are 
after the flesh: are under the power of the carnal, rebellious. prin- 
ciple; and consequently mind, ¢eorovecry, relish the things of the flesh ; 
the things which appertain merely to the present life; having no re- 
lish for spiritual and eternal things. 

But they that are after the Spirit] They who are regenerated, 


184 ROMANS.—CHAP. VIII. 


6 For *to >be carnally- minded és death; but ¢to be 
spiritually minded is life and peace. . 

7 Because ‘the © carnal mind zs enmity against God : for 
it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. 

8 So then, they that are in the flesh cannot please God. 


 — ———— —— ——— — — — —— ——————————————————————————————————————_ 

aCh. 6. 21. Ver. 13. Gal. 6. 8.—b Gr. the minding of the flesh; So ver. 7.—c Gr. 
the minding of the Spirit—4 Gr. the minding of the flesk —e James 4. 4.—f 1 Cor. 
2. 14. 


who are born of the Spirit, being redeemed from the influence and 
law of the carnal mind; these relish the things of the Spirit; they 
are spiritually minded, and pass through things temporal, so as not 
to lose'the things which are eternal. And this, which in these apos- 
tolic times distinguished between the carnal Jew, and the spiritual 
believer in Christ, is the grand mark of distinction between the no- 
minal and the real Christian now. The former are earthly minded, 
and live for this world; the latter are spiritually minded, and live 
for the world to come. 

Verse 6. For io be carnally minded is death] To live under the 
influence of the carnal mind, is to live in a state of condemnation; 
and, consequently, liable to death eternal : whereas, on the contra- 
ry, he who is spiritually minded, has the life and peace of God in his 
soul; and is in full prospect of life eternal. __ 

Verse 7. Because the carnal mind is enméty against God] Because 
it is a carnal mind, and relishes earthly and sinful things; and lives 
in opposition to the pure and holy law of God; therefore it is enmity 
against God, it is irreconcilable and implacable hatred. 

It is not subject to the law of God] It will come under no obe- 
dience ; for it is sin, and the very principle of rebellion; and there~ 
fore it cannot be subject, nor subjected ; for it is essential to sia to 
show itself in rebellion; and when it ceases to rebel, it ceases to be 
sin. 

From this we learn, that the design of God, in the economy of the 
Gospel, is not to weaken, curtail, or lay the carnal principle in 
bonds, but to destroy it. As it is not subject, and cannot be subject 
to the law of God, it must be destroyed; else it will continue to 
rebel against God. It cannot be mended, or rendered less offen- 
sive in its nature, even by the operations of God; it is ever sin, and 
gin is ever enmity; and enmity, wherever it has power, will inva- 
riably show itself in acts of hostility and rebellion. 

Verse 8. Se then] Because this carnal mind is enmity against 
God: they that are in the flesh, who are under the power of the 
workings of this carnal mind, (which every soul is, that has not re- 
ceived redemption in the blood of the Lamb.) » yt 

Cannot please God] Because of the rebellious workings of this 
principle of rebellion and hatred. And, if they cannot please God, 
they must be displeasing to him; and, consequently, in the broad 
road to final perdition. wes 


ROMANS.—CHAP. Viil. 185 


*_§ But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be 
that * the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now, if any man 
have not » the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. 

10 And if Christ be in you, the body zs dead because of 
sin ; but the Spirit ts life because of righteousness. 

11 But, if the Spirit of © him that raised up Jesus from 
the dead dwell in you, ¢ he that raised up Christ from the 
dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies © by his Spirit 
that dwelleth in you. 


ee 

a 1-Cor. 3. 16. & 6. 19.—b John 3. 34. Gal. 4.6. Phil. 1.19. 1 Pet. 1. 11.—cActs 
2.24.—d Ch. 6.4,5. LCor.6. 14. 2 Cor. 4. 14. Eph. 2.5.—e Or, because of his 
Spirit. 


Verse 9. But ye are not in the flesh] Ye Christians who have be- 
lieved in Christ Jesus as the sin-offering which has condemned sin 
in the flesh ; and haying been justified by faith, and made partakers 
of the Holy Spirit, are enabled to walk in newness of life. 

If so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you] Or seeing that sixep, 
the Spirit of God dwelleth in you. The flesh, the sinful principle, 
dwelt in them before; and its motions were the proofs of its indwell- 
ing : but now the Spirit dwells in them ; and its testimony in their 
<onscience, and its powerful operations in their hearts, are the 
proofs of its indwelling. God made man in union with himself, and 
his heart was his temple. Sin being committed, the temple was de- 
filed, and God abandoned it. Jesus Christ has come by his sacrifice 
and Spirit to cleanse the temple, and make man again a habitation 
of God through the Spirit. And when this Almighty Spirit again 
makes the heart his residence ; then the soul is delivered from the 
moral effects of the fall. And, that this is absolutely necessary to 
our present peace, and final salvation is proved from this; that if 
any man have not the Spirit of Christ; the mind that was in him, 
produced there, by the power of the Holy Ghost; he is none of his, 
he does not belong to the kingdom, flock, or family of God. his is 
an awful conclusion !—Reader, lay it to heart. 

Verse 10. And if Christ be in you, &c.] This is the criterion by 
which you may judge of the state of grace in which you stand. If 
Christ dwell in your hearts by faith, the body is dead because of sin ; 
di euagrizy, in reference to sin; the members of your body xno 
‘more perform the work of sin, than the body of a dead man does the 
functions of natural life. Or the apostle may mean, that although 
because of sin, the life of man is forfeited; and the sentence, dust 
thou art, and unto dust thou shalt return, must be fulfilled on every 
human being, till the judgment of the great day; yet, their souls 
‘being quickened by the indwelling Spirit of Christ, enables them to 
‘live a life of righteousness,and gives them a full assurance that their 
bodies, which are now condemned to death because of sin, shull be 
raised again to a life of immortal glory. 

Verse 11. But if the Spirit, &c.] This verse confirms, the sense 

16 * 


a . Es a 


\ 
186 ROMANS.—CHAP. VIII. , 


12 @ Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the’ ~ 
flesh, to live after the flesh. 


a Ch. 6. 7, 14. ye 


aS eee eee 
given to the preceding. He, who here receives the grace and Spirit 
of Christ, and continues to live, under its influence, a life of obe- 
dience to the Divine will, shall have a resurrection to eternal life; 
and the resurrection of Christ shall be the pattern after which they 
shall be raised. 

By his Spirit that dwelleth in you] Instead of dra rou evoinovyroe 
aurou wviumares, because of the Spirit of him who dwelleth in you, 
DEFG. a great many others, with the Vulgate, Itala, and several 
of the Fathers, have dia vo evosnovy avrou wyevzea, which gives al-—_ 
most no variety of meaning. -The latter may be neater Greek, but 
it is not better sense than the preceding. 

Verse 12. Therefore, brethren, &c.| Dr. Taylor is of opinion that 
the apostle, having spoken separately both to Jews and Gentiles 
€oncerning holiness, and the obligation to it, now addresses himself 
to both conjointly, and— 

I. Draws the general conclusion from all his arguments upon this 
snbject, ver. 12. 

Il. Proves the validity of their claims to eternal life, ver. 14—17. 

TI. And as the affair of suffering persecution was a great stum- 
blingblock to the Jews, and might very much discourage the Gen- 
tiles, he introduces it to the best advantage, ver. 17. and advances 
several arguments to fortify their minds under all trials:—as (1.) 
That they suffered with Christ.—(2.) In order to be glorified with 
him in a manner which will infinitely compensate all sufferings, ver. 
17, 18.—(3.) All mankind are under various pressures, longing for a 
better state, ver. 19—22.—(4.) Many of the most eminent Chris- 
tians are in the same distressed condition, ver. 23.—(5.) According 
to the plan of the Gospel, we are to be brought to glory after a 
course of patience, exercised in a variety of trials, ver. 24, 25.—(6.) 
The Spirit of God will supply patience to every upright soul under 
persecution and suffering, ver. 26, 27.—(7.) All things, even the 
severest trials, shall work together for their good, ver. 28. And 
this he proves, by giving us a view of the several steps which the 
wisdom and goodness of God have settled in order to our complete 
salvation, ver. 29,30. Thence he passes to the affair of our perse- 
verance ; concerning which he concludes, from the whole of his pre- 
ceding arguments, that as we are brought into a state of pardon, by 
the free grace of God, through the death of Christ, who is now our 
Mediator in heaven; no possible cause, providing we continue to 
love and serve God, shall be able to pervert our minds, or separate 
us from his love in Christ Jesus, ver. 31—39. Therefore, apa ouv, is 
the grand inference, from all that he has been arguing in relation to 
sanctity of life, both to the Gentiles, chap. vi. and to the Jews, chap. 

pom. and viii. to this verse, where I suppose he begins to address him- 
self to both inja body, to the end of the chapter.—Taylor, p. 317. ee 
z we 


ROMANS.—CHAP. VIII. 187 


i3 For *if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die, but if ye 
through the Spirit do ° mortify the deeds of the body, ye 
shall live. ; 

14 For ‘as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they 
are the sons of God. 

15 For “ye have not received the spirit of bondage again 
© to fear ; but ye have received the ‘Spirit of adoption, 
whereby we cry, = Abba, Father. 


aVer.6. Gal.6.8—>Eph. 4.2. Col. 3. 5.—Gal. 5.18—41 Cor. 2. 12. Heb. 
2.15.—¢ 2 Tim.1.7. 1 John 4. 18.—f Isai. 56.5. Gal. 4.5, 6.—s Mark 14. 36. 


Verse 13. For if ye live after the flesh ye shall die] Though ysa- 
aere amwobyucxey may mean, ye shall afterward-die, and this seems to 
intimate a temporal death ; yet not exclusively of an eternal death ; 
for both, and especially the latter, are necessarily implied. 

But if ye, through the Spirit] If ye seek that grace and spiritual 
help which the Gospel of Christ furnishes ; resist, and by resisting, 
mortify the deeds of the flesh, against which the law gave you no as- 
sistance ; ye shall live a life of faith, love, and holy obedience here; 
and a life of glory hereafter. 

Verse 14. For as many as are led by the Spirit, &.] No man who 
has not divine assistance can either find the way to heaven, or walk 
in it when found. As Christ, by his sacrificial offering, has opened 
the kingdom of Ged to all believers; and as a mediator, transacts 
the concerns of their kingdom before the throne: so the Spirit of 
God is the great agent here below, to enlighten, quicken, strengthen, 
and guide the true disciples of Christ; and all that are born of this 
Spirit are led and guided by it; and none can pretend to be the 
children of God who are not thus guided. 

Verse 15. Ye have not received the Spirit of bondage] All that 
Were under the law were under bondage to its rites and ceremo- 
nies; and as, through the prevalence of that corrupt nature with 
which every human being is polluted, and to remove which the law 
gave no assistance, they were often transgressing; consequently, 
they had forfeited their lives, and were continually, through fear of 
death, subject to bondage, Heb. ii. 15. The believers in Christ 
Jesus were brought from onder that law, and from under its con- 
demnation ; and, consequently, were freed from its bondage. The 
Gentiles were also in a state of bondage, as well as the Jews: they 
had also a multitude of burdensome rights and ceremonies, and a 
multitude of deities to worship ; nor could they believe themselves 
secure of protection while one of their almost endless host of gods, 
celestial, terrestrial, or infernal, was left unpropitiated. 

But ye have received the Spirit of adoption] Ye are brought into 
the family of God by adoption ; and the agent that brought you inte 
this family is the Holy Spirit ; and this very Spirit continues to wit- 
ness'to you the grace in whichye stand, by enabling you to cail God 
your Father, with the utmost filial confidence and afiection. 


3 Ae eae AC ee eC 
188 ROMANS.—CHAP. VIII. 


162 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, 
that we are the children of God. . 


22 Cor, 1. 22. &5.5, Eph. 1. 13, & 4. 30. 


The Spirit of adoption} Adoption was an act frequent among 
the ancient Hebrews, Greeks, and Romans; by which a person was 
taken out of one family, and incorporated with another. Persons of 
property, who had no children of their own, adopted those of another 
family. The child thus adopted, ceased to belong to his own family, 
and was, in every respect, bound to the person who had adopted 
him, as if he were his own child; and in consequence of the death 
of his adopting father, he possessed his estates. Ifa person, after he 
had adopted. a child, happened to have children of his own; then the 
estate was equally divided between the adopted and real children. 
The Romans had regular forms of law by which all these matters 
were settled. 

Whereby we cry, Abba, Father.| The reason why the Syriac and 
Greek words are here conjoined, may be seen in the note on Mark 
xiv. 36. to which the reader is referred. The introduction of the 
words here shows that the persons in question had the strongest evi- 
dence of the excellence of the state in which they stood; they knew 
that they were thus adopted; and they knew this by the Spirit of 
God which was given them on their adoption; and let me say, they 
could know it by ne other means. The Father who had adopted 
them, could be seen by no mortal eye; and the transaction being 
purely of a spiritual nature, and transacted in heaven, can be known 
only by God’s supernatural testimony of it upon earth. It isa matter 
of such solema importance to every Christian soul, that God in his 
mercy has been pleased not to leave it to conjecture, assumption, or 
inductive reasoning; but attests it by his own Spirit in the soul of 
the person whom he adopts through Ghrist Jesus. It is the grand 
and most observable case, in which the intercourse is kept up be- 
tween heaven and earth; and the genuine believer in Christ Jesus, 
is not left to the quibbles or casuistry of polemic divines or critics, 
but receives the thing, and the testimony of it, immediately from 
God himself. And were not the testimony of the state thus given, 
no man could possibly have any assurance of his salvation which 
would beget confidence and love. If, to any man, his acceptance 
with God be hypothetical, then his confidence must be soteo. His 
love to God must be hypothetical, his gratitude hypothetical, and 
his obedience also. IF, God have forgiven me my sins, then I should 
love him, and I should be grateful, and I should testify this gratitude 
by obedience. But who does not see that these must necessarily 
depend on the IF in the first case. All this uncertainty, and the 
perplexities necessarily resulting from it, God has precluded by 
sending the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, by which we ery Abba, 
Father ! and thus our adoption into the heavenly family is testified 
and ascertained to us in the only way in which it can possilng be 


ROMANS.— CHAP. VIII. 189 


17 And if children, then heirs, * heirs of God, and joint 
heirs with Christ: if so be that we suffer with him, that 
we may be also glorified together. 


2 Acts 26.18. Gal. 4. 7.—» Acts 14.22. Phil. 1.29. 2 Tim. 2. 11, 12. 


done, by the direct influence of the Spirit of God. Remove this 
from Christianity, and it is a dead letter. 

_ It has been remarked that slaves were not permitted to use the 
term Abba, father, or Imma, mother, in accosting their masters and 
mistresses. The Hebrew canon, relative to this is extant in the 
tract Berachoth, fol. 16. 2. sax XO TMs pp PN mMawaAY Orayn 
mondp Nos NDy dD ha Abadim ve hashepo»choth ein korin otham, lo 
Abba N. velolmmaN. Men-servants and maid-servants do not call to 
their master Abba, (father,) N. nor to their mistress Imma, (mother,) 
WV. And from this, some suppose that the apostle intimates, that 
being now brought from under the spirit of bondage in which they 
durst not call God their Father; they are now not only brought into 
a new state, but have got that language which is peculiar to that 
state. It is certain that no man who has not redemption in the 
blood of the cross, has any right to call God Father; but merely as 
he may be considered the Father of the spirits of all flesh. 

Some have supposed that the apostle, by using the Syriac and 
Greek words which express Father, shows the union of Jewish and 
Gentile believers in those devotions which were dictated by a filial 
spirit. Others have thought that these were the first words which 
those generally uttered, who were made partakers of the Holy 
Spirit. It is enough to know that it was the language of their son- 
ship ; and that it expressed the clear assurance they had of being 
received into the Divine favour, the affection and gratitude they felt 
for this extraordinary blessing, and their complete readiness to come 
under the laws and regulations of the family, and to live in the spirit 
of obedience. 

Verse 16. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit] Avro 
to mysuxa> that same Spirit, the Spirit of adoption; that is, the 
Spirit who witnesses this adoption, which can be no other than the 
Holy Ghost himself, and certainly cannot mean apy disposition or 
affection of mind which the adopted person may feel; for sucha 
disposition must arise from a-knowledge of this adoption; and the 
knowledge of this adoption cannot be given by any human or earthly 
Means; it must come from God himself: therefore, the auro ro 
mysuae must have reference to that Spirit, by whom alone the 
knowledge of the adoption is witnessed to the soul of the believer. 

With our Spirit—In our understanding, the place or recipient of 
light and information; and the place or faculty to which such infor- 
mation can properly be brought. This is done that we may have 
the highest possible evidence of the work which God has wrought. 
As the window is the proper medium to let the light of the sun into 
our apartments; so the understanding is the proper medium of con- 


Te. ee. ae 


190 ROMANS.—CHAP. VIII. oe 


18 For I reckon that * the sufferings of this present time 
are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall 
be revealed in us. 

19 For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth 
for the © manifestation of the sons of God. 


a2Cor. 4.17. 1 Pet. 1. 6,7. & 4. 13.—b 2 Pet. 3. 13.—c1 John 3. 2. 


veying the Spirit’s influence to the soul. We, therefore, have the 
utmost evidence of the fact of our adoption, which we ean possibly 
have: we have the word and Spirit of God; and the word sealed on 
our spirit by the Spirit of God. And this is not a momentary influx : 
if we take care to walk with God, and not grieve the Holy Spirit, 
we shall have an abiding testimony ; and while we continue faithful 
to our adopting Father, the Spirit that witnesses that adoption will 
continue to witness it; and hereby we shall know that we are of 
God by the Spirit which he giveth us. 

Verse 17. And if children, then heirs] For the legitimate. chil- 
dren can alone inherit the estate. This is not an estate to which 
they succeed in consequence of the death of a former possessor; it is 
like the Promised Land, given by God himself, and divided among 
the children of the family. 

Heirs of God] It is neither an earthly portion, nor a heavenly 
portion ; but Gop himself, who is to be their portion. It is not hea- 
ven they are to inherit; it is Gop, who is infinitely greater and 
more glorious than heaven itself. With such powers has God crea- 
ted the soul of man, that nothing less than himself can be a sufficient 
and satisfactory portion for the mind of this most astonishing creature. 

Joint heirs with Christ] Partaking of the same eternal glory with 
the glorified human nature of Christ. 

If so be that we suffer with him] Observe, says Dr. Taylor, how 
prudently the apostle advances to the harsh affair of suffering. He 
does not mention it till he had raised up their thoughts to the highest 
object of joy and pleasure, the happiness and glory of a joint inheri- 
tance with the ever blessed Son of God. : 

We are heirs, heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ, if so be that 
we suffer with him—This, with the additional consideration, that we 
suffer with Christ ; or, as he himself suffered, would greatly qualify 
‘the transitory afflictions of this world, and dispose them to attend to 
the other arguments he had to offer. i 

Verse 18. For I reckon that the sufferings, &e.] Ifthe glory that 
is to be revealed be the enjoyment of God himself, (see above,) then 
the sufferings of this life, which, when compared with eternity, are 
but as for a moment, are not worthy to be put in competition with 
this glory which shall be revealed in us. This ease is perfectly clear. 

Verse 19, For the earnest expectation of the creature) There is 
considerable difficulty in this and the four following verses : and the 
difficulty lies chiefly in the meaning of the word 4 xtie1s, which we 
translate the creafure, and creation. Some think that by it the brute 


ROMANS.—CHAP. VIII. 191 


20 For *the creature was made subject to vanity, not 
willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same 
in hope. 


*aVer.22. Gen. 3. 19. 


creation is meant, others apply it to the Jewish people, others to the 
godly, others to the Gentiles, others to the good angels, and others 
to the fallen spirits, both angelic and human. Dissertations without 
end have been written on it; and it does not appear that the Caris- 
tian world are come to any general agreement on the subject. Dr. 


Lightfoot’s mode-of explanation appears to me to be the best, on the ~ 


whole. “There is,’’ says he, “a twofold key hanging at this place, 
which may unlock the whole, and make the sense plain and easy. 

“<1. The first is the phrase race xticss, which we render the 
whole creation, ver. 22, and with which we meet twice elsewhere in 
the New Testament. Mark xvi. 15, Preach the Gospel, racy ry 
zvizet, to every creature; and Col. i. 23, the Gospel was preached, ev 
warn ry urioss, to every creature. — Now it is sufficiently apparent 
what is meant by x2¢2 xticus in both these places, viz. all nations, or 
the heathen world. For that which, in St. Mark, is, preach the Gos- 
pel to every creature ; is, in St. Matthew, goand teach wavra Te sOrn, 
ali nations. And this very phrase in this place, lays claim to that 
very interpretation. And the Hebrew nian 95 col haberioth, which 
answers to the Greek vaca xtic1¢, every creature, is applied by the 
Jews to the Gentiles, and that by way of opposition to Israel. 

“2. The second key is the word uweramrats, ver. 20. which is 
not unfitly rendered vanily ; but then this vanity is improperly ap- 
plied to the vanishing, dying, changing state of the creation. For 
Mataioras, vanity, does not so much denote the vanishing condition 
of the outward state, as it does the inward vanity or emptiness of 
the mind. So the apostle,, speaking of the Gentiles, concerning 
whom he speaks here, tells us, evarasmbrcar, They became vain in 
their imaginations, Rom. i. 21. and again, The Gentiles walk, ¥ev 
paratorntt, in the vanity of their mind, Eph. iv. 17. also, The 
Lord knoweth the thoughis of the wise, ort waratot ert, that they are 
vain, 1 Cor. ili. 20. . To all which let me add this farther observa- 
tion, that throughout this whole place, the apostle seems to allude 
to the bondage of the Israelites in Egypt, and their deliverance 
from it; with a comparison made between the Jewish and the 
Gentile church. When God would deliver Israel from his bon- 
dage, he challenges him for his son, and his first-born, Exod. iv. 22. 
And in like manner the Geutiles earnestly expect and wait for such 
a kind of manifestation of the sonsof God, within and among them- 
selves. The Romans, to whom the aposile writes, knew well how 
many predictions and promises it had pleased God to publish by his 
prophets, concerning gathering together and adopting sons to himself 
~ among the Gentiles; the manifestation of which sons the whole Gen- 
tile world, with a neck as it were stretched out, as the word a7oz2~ 


192 ROMANS.—CHAP. VIIf, 


21 Because the creature itself also shall be delivered 
from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of 
the children of God. 

22 For, we know that *the whole creation » groaneth 
and travaileth in pain together until now. ‘ee 


un 


a Or, every creature. Mark 16. 15. Col. 1. 23.—b Jer. 12. 11. 


eedouse implies, (from exo, and xaee, the head, and dozea, to expect,) 
doth now wait for.” See the observations at the end of this chapter. 

Verse 20. For the creature was made subject to vanity| ‘The. Gen- 
tile world were subject to vanity of mind ;—but how? not willingly, 
but by reason of him who hath subjected the same. May we not 
say, it became yain willingly? but was made subject to vanity un- 
willingly. For, let us recur to the origin of Gentilism, the confu- 
sion of languages, by reason of the attempt to build the tower of 
Babel; and though there are some passages in the gloss of the Tar- 
gumists upon this matter, that are sufficiently ridiculous; yet as to 
their scope and design they are worthy of notice. “ They said, Go 
to, let us build us a city and a tower, and let its head reach unto the 
top of heaven ; and let us make a house of worship in the top of it; 
and let us put a sword in his hand that he may wage war for us 
against our enemies, before we be scattered abroad upon the face of 
the whole earth.” It isan ancieat tradition among the Jews, that this 
tower was built on an idolatrousaccount. The confusion of tongues, 
by which true religion was lost in the world, is a proof that the 
builders of this tower sinned against God in the highest degree: 
They were inclined to vanity, i. e. idolatry, willingly; but they 
were subjected to vanity unwillingly; for this proceeded from the 
just indignation and vengeance of God. From this time the world 
lay under heathenism, till the bringing in of the Gospel, upwards of 
2000 years after.—See Lightfoot. ae 

gVerse 21. Because the creature] This and the preceding verse 
should be*thus connected ; in hope THAT (078) the creature itself also 
shall be delivered. The word @Sog2 denotes very frequently, sinful 
corruption. So 2 Pet.i.4, Corruption through lust, 9oge sv emi- 
Gupta 2 Cor. xi. 3, lest your minds should be corrupted. 1 Cor. 
xv. 33, Evil communications corrupt good manners. The sense, 
therefore, of the apostle in this place, seems to be; the Gentile 
world shall, in time, be delivered from the bondage of their sinful 
corruption ; i. e. the bondage of their lusts and vile affections; ang 
be brought into such a noble liberty as the sons of God enjoy. 

Verse 22. The whole creation groaneth and travaileth| If it be 
inquired how the Gentile world groaned and travailed in pain; let 
them who explain this of the fabric of the material world, tell us 
how that groans and travails? They must needs own it to be a bor- 
rowed and allusive phrase: but, in the sense above given, the very 
literal construction may be admitted, 


ray 


~ et, Sos WARD 


ROMANS.—CHApP. VIII. 198 


23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have 
4the first-fruits of the Spirit, > even we ourselves groan 
within ourselves, ° waiting for the adoption, to wit, the 
4 redemption of our body. 

24 For we are saved by hope: but © hope that is seen 


a2Cor. 5.5. Eph. 1. 14.—» 2 Cor. 5. 2, 4.—c Luke 20. 36.—d Luke 21.28. Eph. 4. 
a 30.—e2 Cor. 5.7. Heb. 11. 1. 


Verse 23. And not only they, but ourselves also] Neither the 
Gentiles only, but we Jews also, (however we belong to a nation 
envious of the heathen,) to whom God hath granted the first-fruits of 
the Spirit ; we sigh among ourselves for their sakes, waiting for the 
adoption ; that is, the redemption of our mystical body, whereof the 
Gentiles make a very great part. Lightfoot’s Works, Vol. Il. pages 
359 and 707. 

The scope and design of St. Paul in these verses may be thus 
summed up;—The apostle shows that the whole creation is in a 
suffering state, into which it has been brought by the disobedience 
of one man, Adam; therefore it was made subject to vanity ; pain, 
sickness, and death; not willingly, for mankind had no part in that 

ession, which “brought death into the world, and all our 
wo ;’’ but God subjected the whole, purposing to afford them a deli- 
verance, and infusing into every heart a hope that a more auspicious 
era should take place ; and it is through the influence of this hope, 
which every man possesses, that the present ills are so patiently 
borne, because all are expecting better days. The great Deliverer 
is the Messiah, and the Gospel days the auspicious era which God 
intended to bring forward. They who believe in Christ, with a 
heart unto righteousness, are freed from the bondage of their sinful 
corruption, and brought into the glorious liberty of the sons of God ; 
and they look forward with joyous expectation, waiting for, the 
general resurrection, when their bodies also shall be redeemed from 
corruption, and the whole man, body and soul, be adopted into the 
family of heaven above ; as their souls had been previously adopted 
into the family of faith below. And although it may be said that the 
redemption provided by the Gospel, cannot be an object of hope to 
those who have never heard of it; yet, as every man has hope, and 
this hope is inspired by God for this very purpose, that it may be 
the means of supporting them in the ills of life ; and God, in inspiring 
it, had respect to the glorious state of Christianity; therefore, it is 
this state, in effect, that the whole creation are longing for. So 
Jesus Christ is said, by the prophet Haggai, ii. 7, to be the Desire of 
ali nations ; and yet not one of the nations of the earth had at that 
time heard of him. And thus, as Dr. Whitby has very properly re- 
marked, “desire and expectation are ascribed to creatures, in re- 
ference to things they want, and which tend to their advantage; 
notwithstanding they explicitly know nothing of them.”’ 

Verse 24. For we are saved by hope| We are supported, and are 

17 


te Se 
194 ROMANS —CHAP. VIII, 


is not hope: for what a man seeth, why rome yet hope 

for ? ” 

25 But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with 

patience wait for «. “a 
26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities : for 


es 
comfortable in the expectation we have of receiving, from the hand 
of our God, all the good we need, in the troubles and adversities of 
this life; and in having our bolies raised from corruption and death, 
at the general resurrection. ; 

Hope that is seen is not hope] As hope signifies the expectation 
of future good; so, it necessarily supposes that the object of it is not 
seen; i. e. not enjoyed : for to see, in scripture language, sometimes 
signifies to enjoy, asin Job vii. 7, Mine eyes shall no more see (margin, 
enjoy) good. Job ix. 25, My days flee away, and see no good ; i. e. 
enjoy no prosperity. Psa. 1. 23, I will show the salvation of God: 
I will give that man to enjoy my salvation who walks uprightly. 
Matt. v. 8, Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God: that 
is, they shall enjoy his favour and blessing. See also, John iii. 36. 
Heb. xii. 14. and | John iii.2, The hope that is seen, that is enjoyed, 
is no longer hope; it is fruition: and a man cannot hope for that 
which he has in his possession. ; 

Verse 25. But if we hope for that we see not] If we have a well- 
grounded expectation of our resurrection, and final glorification, 
knowing that such things are necessarily future, and must, for a cer- 
tain time be delayed ; then do we patiently wait for them, continue 
patiently to endure the common ills of life, and whatever tribula- 
tions we may be exposed to in consequence of our Christian profess- 
ion; for we know, faithful ishe who has promised. Hope is a sort of 
universal blessing ; and one of the greatest which God has granted 
toman. To mankind in general, life would be intolerable without 
it; and it is as necessary as faith is, even to the followers of God. 

The ancients have a very instructive and elegant fable concerning 
it. ‘* Prometheus, having made a human body, went up to heaven, 
and stole some celestial fire to animate it: Jupiter, incensed at the 
theft, sent down Pandora, with a box full of diseases and plagues of 
every kind, as an ensnaring present to Prometheus ; but he refused to 
accept it. Epimetheus took and opened it; and instantly all those 
diseases, &c. by which mankind have been made miserable, flew out 
and spread themselves over the whole earth; and only hope re- 
mained at the bottom of the box.” This fable explains itself as to 
its main design. Men find life, with its various and unavoidable ills, 
only supportable by the hope they have of not only getting safely 
through them, but of enjoying a state of blesseduess in the end. 
Hope is still at the bottom; and therefore man is encouraged to 
bear up in all the pressures of life. Take away hope; and then 
black despair, and indescribable wretchedness, would be the instant 
result. Hope stands justly among the highest mercies of God. 

Verse 26. The Spirit also helpcth our infirmities] The same 


ROMANS.—CHAP. VIII. 195 


@ we know not what we should pray for as we ought : but 
>the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings 
which cannot be uttered. 

27 And © he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what cs 
the mind of the Spirit : 4 because he maketh intercession 
for the saints, © according to the will of God. 


a Matt. 20. 22. James 4. 3.—b Zech. 12. 10. Eph. 6. 18.—c 1 Chron. 28.9. Psa. 
7.9. Prov. 17-3. Jer. 11. 20. & 17. 10. & 20. 12. Acts 1.24. 1 Thess. 2.4. Rev. 
2. 23.—4 Or, that.—e 1 John 5. 14. 


Spirit, to wvevue, mentioned before, as bearing witness with ours 
that we are the children of God; and consequently it is not a dispo- 
sition or frame of mind, for the disposition of our mind surely cannot 
help the infirmities of our minds. 

The word cuvarrin.auCaysras is very inadequately expressed by 
heipeth. It is compounded of cuv, together, avts, against, and 
aapCavoyas, to support, or help; and signifies such assistance as is 
afforded by any two persons to each other, who mutually bear the 
same load; or carry it between them. He who prays, receives 
help from the Spirit of God; but he who prays not, receives no 
such help. Whatever our strength may be, we must put it forth, 
even while most implicitly depending on the strength of God himself. 

For we know not what we should pray for as we ought] And 
should therefore be liable to endless mistakes in our prayers, if suita- 
ble desires were not excited by the Holy Spirit; and power received 
to bring these desires, by prayer, before the throne of grace. 

But the Spirit rtself| Autre ro rvevjx, the same Spirit, viz. the 
Spirit that witnesses of our adoption and sonship, ver. 15, 16. makes 
intercession for us. Surely if the apostle had designed to teach us, 
that he meant our own sense and understanding by the Spirit, he 
never could have spoken in a manner in which plain common sense 
was never likely to comprehend his meaning. Besides, how can it 
be said that our own spirit, our filial disposition, bears witness with 
our own spirit; that our own spirit helps the infirmities of our own 
spirit; that our own spirit teaches our own spirit that of which it is 
ignorant ; and that our own spirit maketh intercessior: for our own spi- 
rit, with groanings unutterable? This would have been both incon- 
gruousand absurd. We must therefore understand these places of that 
help and influence which the followers of God receive from the Holy 
Ghost ; and, consequently, of the fulfilment of the various promises 
relative to this point which our Lord made to his disciples, particu- 
larly in John xiv. 16, 17. and 26. xv. 26, 27. xvi. 7. and particularly 
ver. 13. and 14. Howbeit, when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will 
guide you into all truth ; and he will show you things tocome. He shalt 
glorify me ; for he shall receive of mine, and shall show it unio you. 

Verse 27. He maketh intercession for the saints] The word ey- 
tuyy2ve, signifies to apply oneself to a person in behalf of another: 
to intercede, or negotiate for. Our Lord makes intercession for us, 


“Soe 


r 


ny Oe 


196 ROMANS.—CHAP. VI] 


. 
28 And we know that all things work together for good 
to them that love God: to them *who are the called ac- 
cording to his purpose. £Neg 


a 


«Ch. 9. 11, 23,4. 2Tim. 1. 9. 


by negotiating and managing, as our Friend and Agent, all the affairs 
pertaining to our salvation. And the Spirit of God makes interces- 
sion for the saints; not by supplication to God on their behalf, but 
by directing and qualifying their supplications in a proper manner, 
by his agency and influence upon their‘hearts ; which, according to 
the Gospel scheme, is the peculiar work and office of the Holy Spirit. 
See Taylor. nf 

According to the will of God.] Kara ©sop: according to the mind, 
intention, or design of God. And thus the prayers which we offer up, 
and the desires which subsist in the unatterable groanings, are all 
such as are pleasing in the sight of God. So that God, whose is the 
Spirit, and who is acquainted with the mind of the Spirit, knows 
what he means when he leads the saints to express themselves in 
words, desires, groans, sighs, or tears: in each God reads the lan- 
guage of the Holy Ghost ; and prepares the answer according to the 
Pequest. 

From all this we learn, that a fluency in prayer is not essential to 
praying: a man may pray most powerfully in the estimation of God, 
who is not able to utter even one word. The unutterable groan is 
big with meaning, and God understands it, because it coutains the 
language of his own Spirit. Some desires are too mighty to be ex- 
pressed; there is no language expressive enough to give them pro- 
per form and distinct vocal sound. Such desires show that they 
came from God: and as they came from him, so they express what 
God is disposed to do; and what he has purposed to do. This is a 
matter of great encouragement to all those who are agonizing to 
enter in at the strait cate. 

Verse 28. And we know that all things work together for good to 
them that Jove God] To understand this verse aright, let us observe 
-—1. That the persons in whose behalf ail things work for good, are 
they who love God ; and, consequently, who live in the spirit of obe- 
dience.—2. It is not said that all things shall work for good; but 
that cuvegyst, they work now in the behalf of him who loveth now, 
ayerwc:; for both verbs are in the present tense.—3. All these 
things work together; while they are working, God’s providence is 
working, his Spirit is working, and they are working together with 
him. And whatever troubles, or afflictions, or persecutions may 
arise, God presses them into their service ; and they make a part of 
the general working, and are caused to contribute to the general 
good of this person who now loves God, and who is working by faith 
and love under the influence and operation of the Holy Ghost. They 
Who say sin works for good to them that love God, speak blasphe- 
mous nonsense. A man who now loves God, is not now sinning 


> 


ROMANS.—CHAP. VIIE. 197 


29 For whom *he did foreknow, ” he also did predesti- 
nate © to be conformed to the image of his Son, 4 that he 
might be the first-born among many brethren. 


@ See Exod. 33. 12.17. Psa. 1.6. Jer.1.5. Matt. 7.23. Ch. 11.2. 2Tim. 2. 
19. 1 Pet. 1, 2.—b» Eph. 1.5, 11.—e John 17. 22. 2 Cor. 3.18. Phil. 3.21.. 1 John 
3. 2.—d Col. 1.15, 18. Heb.1.6. Rev. 1. 5. 


against God; and the promise belongs only to the present time: 
and as love is the true incentive to obedience, the man who is enti- 
tled to the promise, can never, while thus entitled, (loving God,) be 
found in the commission of sin. But though this be a good general 
sense for those words, yet the all things mentioned here by the apos- 
tle seem more particularly to mean those things mentioned in the 
28th, 29th, and 30th verses. 

To them who are the called according to his purpose] Dr. Taylor 
translates toss xanrosc, the invited: aud observes, that it is a meta- 
phor taken from inviling guests, or making them welcome to a feast. 
As if he had said, Certainly all things work together for their good ; 
for this reason, because they are calied, invited, or made welcome 
to the blessings of the covenant, (which is ratified in eating of the 
covenant sacrifice,) according to God’s original purpose first de- 
clared to Abraham, Gen. xvii. 4. Thou shalt be a father of many na- 
tions—and allthe nations of the earth shall be blessed in him, xviii. 
18. Thas this clause is to be understood ; and thus it is an argu- 
ment to prove, that all things, how afflictive soever, shall work for 
our good, while we continue to love God. Our being called or in- 
vited, according to God’s purpose, proves that all things work for 
our good, on the supposition that we love God, and not otherwise. 
For our loving God, or making a due improvement of our calling, is 
evidently inserted by the apostle to make good his argument. He does 
not pretené to prove that all things shall concur to the everlasting 
happiness of all that are called; but only to those of the called, who 
love God. Our calling, thus qualified, is the ground of his argu- 
ment, which he prosecutes and completes in the two next verses. 
Our calling he takes for granted, as a thing evident and unques- 
tionable among all Christians. But you will say, how is it evident 
and unquestionable that we are called? I answer, from our being in 
the visible church, and professing the faith of the Gospel. For al- 
Ways, in the apostolic writings, all that are in the visible church, 
and profess the faith of the Gospel, are numbered among the called 
or invited: i. e. among the persons who are invited to feast on the 
covenant sacrifice: and who, thus, in reference to themselves, con- 
firm and ratify the covenant. As for what is termed effectual call- 
ing, as distinguished from the general invitations of the Gospel, it is 
a distinction which divines have invented without any warrant from 
the Sacred Writings. Our calling, therefore, is considered by the 
apostle in the nature of a self-evident proposition, which nobody 
doubts or denies ; or which, indeed, no Christian ought to doubt, or 
can call in question. Taylor’s notes. 

LY i 


S| ail a ee ee iy i 


198 ROMANS. _cn AP. V nt 


30 Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also 
@ called : and whom he called, them he also ” justified : and 
whom he justified, them he also © glorified. 


oooooeeaeaeeeeaeaeaQqQ@QQqwwNaiaea=aqQqqQqQngnes=aa“=8a“$jRaw@w@=»=«=ET EES S=$Seeeeeeeeey 
#Ch. 1.6. &9.24. Eph. 4.4. Heb, 9.15, 1 Pet. 2, 9—b1 Cor. 6, He John 17. 
22. Eph. 2. 6. 


aaaoaoaaaeEeaEaaeaea=qQ@®@na@nanaqaqQ5qqeaeaee_eewe— eee 
Verse 29. For whom he did foreknow, oo ‘In this, and the fol- 
lowing verse, the apostle shows how our calling is an argument that 
all things work together to advance our eternal happiness; by 
showing the several steps which the wisdom and goodness of God 
have settled, in order to complete our salvation. In order to this,” 
he first gives us, in this verse, the foundation and finishing; or the 
beginning and end of the scheme of our redemption: For whom God 
did foreknow he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image cf 
his Son. To foreknow, here signifies to design before, or at the first 
forming of the scheme: to bestow the favour and privilege of being 
God’s people upon any set of men, as Rom. xi. 2. This is the foun- 
dation, or first step of our salvation; namely, the purpose and grace 
of God, which was given us in Christ Jesus, before the world began, 
2Tim. i. 9. Then he knew, or favoured us, for in this sense the 
word to know is taken in a great variety of places, both in the Old 
and New Testaments. And as he knew the Gentiles then, when 
the scheme was laid, and before any part of it was executed; con- 
sequently, in reference to the execution of this scheme, he foreknew 
us, that is, he allowed, granted, and purposed, that we should be 
thus favoured. This is the first step of our salvation; and the end 
or finishing of it, is our conformity to the Son of God in eternal 
glory, ver. 17. which includes and supposes our moral conformity to 
him. When God knew us, at the forming of the Gospel scheme, or 
when he intended to bestow on us the privilege of being his people; 
he then destinated, or designed us to be conformed to the image of 
his Son: and as he destinated or determined us theo to this very 
high honour and happiness; he predestinated, foreordained, or pre- 
determined us to it. Thus we are to understand the foundation and 
finishing of the scheme of our salvation. The foundation is the fore- 
knowledge, or gracious purpose of God; according to which ample 
provision is made for the salvation of the Gentiles. The finishing is 
our being joint heirs with Christ. Now our calling, or invitation, 
(see on ver. 28.) stands in connexion with both these—1. It stands in 
counexion with God’s foreknowledge; and so it is a true and valid 
calling ; for we are called, invited, or chosen, according to the fore- 
knowledge of God the Father, who may bestow his blessings upon 
any people, as may seem good in his sight, 1 Pet.i.2. Consequently, 
we have a good title to the blessings of the Gospel, to which we are 
called or invited. And this was to be proved, that the Jews, to 
whom the apostle particularly wrote, might see that the Gentiles, 
being now called into the church of God, was not an accidental 
thing, but the matter which God had determined when he conceiv 
the Gospel scheme. Thus our calling is connected with Gods fore- 


/ 


ROMANS.—CHAP. VIII. 199 


31 What shall we then say to these things ? * If God be 
for us, who can de against us ? 


a Numb. 14.9. Psa. 118. 6. 


knowledge.—2. It stands also in connexion with our being conformed 
to the image of his Sou ; for we are invited by the Gospel to the ob- 
taining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 Thess. ii. 14. And 
therefore, supposing what the apostle supposes, that we love God, it 
is certain, from our being called that we shall be glorified with the 
sons of God: and so our calling proves the point, that all things 
should work together for our good, in our present state; because it 
proves that we are intended for eternal glory, as he shows in the 
next verse. For we must understand his foreknowing, predestina- 
ting, calling, and justifying, in relation to his glorifying: and that 
none are finally glorified, but those, who, according to his purpose, 
have been imyited, brought into his church; and are conformed fo 
the image ‘Son.’’ See Taylor. 
_ The firs n among many brethren.] That he might be the 
Chief, or Head, of all the redeemed; for his human nature is the 
+first-fruits of the resurrection from the dead; and He is the first 
human being, that, after having passed through death, was raised 
to eternal glory. 

Verse 30. Whom he did predestinate, &c.| The Gentiles, whom 
He*determined to call into his church with the Jewish people: He 
called, He invited by the preaching of the Gospel, to believe on his 
Son Jesus Christ. It is worthy of note, that all that is spoken here, 
refers to what had already taken place; for the calling, justifying, 
and glorifying, are here represented as having already taken place, 
as well as the foreknowing, and the predestinating: this should be 
carefully noticed. It is, therefore, reasonable to suppose, that the 
apostle principally refers to what God had already done among the 
Jews and Gentiles; though he may also speak of the things that 
were not, as though they were. 4 : 

He also justified] Pardoned the sius of all those who, with heart 
repentance, and true faith, turned unto him. -" 

He also glorified] He has honoured and dignified the Gentiles 
with the highest privileges ;-and he has already taken many of them 
to the kingdom of glory ; and many more are on their way thither; 
and all who love him, and continue faithful unto death, shall mherit 
that glory eternally. Hence it is added, them he also glorified; for 
all the honours which he confers on them have respect to, and are 
intended to promote, their endless felicity: and though the terms 
are here used in a more general sense, yet if we take them more 
restrictedly, we must consider that, in the work of justification sanc- 
tificatioa is implied ; justification being the foundation, and beginning 
ofthat work. From all this we learn, that none will be glorified 
who have not been sanctified and justified: that the justified are 
those who have been called or invited by the Gospel of Christ. That 


£00 ROMANS.—CHAP. VIII. 


32 *He that spared not his own Son, but ” delivered him 
up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give 
us all things ? 7G 


a Ch. 5. 6, 10.—b Ch. 4. 25. 


> " s 


those who have had this calliog, are they to whom God determined 

to grant this privilege: they did not choose this salvation first; but 

God sent it to them, when they knew him not: and therefore the 

salvation of the Gentile world, as well as that of the Jews, comes- 
through the gratuitous mercy of God himself; was the result of infi- 

nite designs ; and stands on the same ground as the calling, &c. of 
the Jewish people. The word Aoge, which we render glory, and 

sofa€w, to glorify, both mean to render illustrious, eminent, &c. &c. 

in various parts of the New Testament; and in this sense the verb 

is used, John xi. 4, xii. 23, 28. xuli. 31, 32. xiv. 13. xv. 8. xxi. 19. 

Acts iii. 13. and in Rom. xi. 13. in none of which places eternal be- 

atification can be intended. Here it seems to mean, that those 

whom God had called into a state of justification, he bad rendered 

illustrious by innumerable gifts, graces, and privileges; in the same 

manner as he had done to the Israelites of old. This is the sense in 

which the passage should be understood. ; 

The whole of the preceding discourse will show that every thing 
here is conditional, as far as it relates to the ultimate salvation of any 
person professing the Gospel of Christ; for the promises are made to 
character, and not to persons, assome have most injudiciously affirm- 
ed. The apostle insists upon a character all along from the beginning 
of the chapter: ver. 1. There is no condemnation to them that are in 
Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. Verse 
13. If ye live after the flesh ye shall die, &c. The absolute neces- 
sity of holiness to salvation, is the very subject of his discourse; this 
necessity he positively affirms, and establishes by the most solid argu- 
ments. At the very entrance of his argument here, he takes care to 
settle the connexion between our calling, and our love and obedience. 
to God, on paneer to prevent that mistake into which so many have © 
fallen, through their great inattention to the scope of his reasoning. 
Ver. 28. All things work together for good—To whom? To THEM 
that love Gop: to them that are the called according to his purpose.— 
To them that love God, because they are called according to his pur- 
pose; for those only who love God, can reap any benefit by this pre- 
destination, vocation, or any other instance of God’sfayour. See the 
observations at the end of this chapter. 

Verse 31. What shall we then say to these things?] What con- 
clusion should we draw from the above premises? From all that 
was already laid down in the preceding chapters, but especially in 
the preceding verses, from ver. 28—30. inclusive. As ifhe had said, 
What comfort may we derive from these doctrines? God has called: 
us all to holiness; and to love him, which is the principle of holiness. 
We are persecuted and despised, it is true, and we may be more 804 


ROMANS.—CHAP. VIII. 201 


33 Who shall lay any thing to the charge’ of God’s elect ? 
2 ft is God that justifieth, 


a Isai. 50. 8,9. Rev. 12.10, 11. 


but, as God has called us to love him, and all things work together 
for good to them that love him: and as his covenant with Abraham, 
while he was in his Gentile state, shows his gracious purpose towards 
us Gentiles, whom he has foreknown, who have been objects of his 
gracious foreknowledge, as well as the Jews: and who have now the 
fullest proof that we were so, by his sending us the Gospel ; and show- 
ing us in it, that if the Israelites were to be a holy priesthood, a royal 
nation, we are no less favoured, as he has predestinated, from the be- 
ginning determined, that we should be conformed to the image of his 
Son, who is to be the first-born among many brethren: the Head 
and Chief of all converted Jews and Gentiles: and, in order to our 
final salvation, bas called, invited us to believe on the Lord Jesus 
Christ; has justified those who do believe, and has glorified, highly 
honoured, and adorned them with innumerable gifts and graces; and 
‘f they continue to possess that faith which worketh by love, will 
boring them, both body and soul, to his eternal glory, their bodies be- 
ing made like unto his glorious body. Seeing therefore, all these 
things are so, what comfort in our tribulations shall we derive from 
them ?—Why this: If God be for us, who can be against us? He, 
who is infinitely wise, has undertaken to direct us: He who is infi- 
nitely powerful, has undertaken to protect us: He who is infinitely 
good, has undertaken to save us. What cunning, strength, or ma- 
lice, can prevail against his wisdom, power, and goodness? None! 
Therefore, we are safe who love God: and not only shall sustain no 
esseniial damage by the persecutions of ungodly men; but even 
these things work together for our good, 

Verse 32. He that spared nol his own Son] Aud can we, his sin- 
eere followers, doubt of the safety of our state, or the certainty of his 
protection? No—for if he loved us, Gentiles and Jews, so intense- 
ly, as to deliver up to death his own Son for us all, can he withhold 
from us any minor blessing? Nay, will he not, on the contrary, 
freely give us all things? For, if he told Abraham, who is the father 
of the faithful, and representative of us all; and with whom the co- 
venant was made, that because he had not withheld from him, his 
only son Isaac, but delivered him up to that death which he thought 
his God had required ; in blessing, he would bless him; and in mul- 
tiplying, he would multiply him; that his seed should possess the 
gate of his enemies; and that in it all the nations of the earth should 
be blessed, Gen. xxii. 16—18. Will HE not give us all that was spi- 
ritually intended by these promises whuse only begotten Son was not 
sacrificed ina figure, but really ; in order to purchase every blessing 
that the soul of man can need ; and that the hand of God can dispense. 

Verse 33. This, and the two following verses, contain a string of 
questions most appropriately introduced, and most powerfully urged ; 


72-9 


a a 
202 ROMANS.—CHAP, VIII,» 


34 * Who is he that condemneth ? It is Christ that died, 
yea rather, that is risen again, ° who is even at the right 
hand of God, © who also maketh intercession for us. 

35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall 
tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or na- 
kedness, or peril, or sword ? . 


Sae33009—-OoOolelewoOO"=OoooOoOooo————————E———————— 
a Job 34. 29.—b Mark 16.19. Col.3.1. Heb. 1.3.&8.1. & 12. 1. 1 Pet. 3. 22 
¢ Heb. 7. 24, & 9.24. 1 John 2. 1. 


tending to show the safety of the state of those who have believed 
the Gospel of the grace of God. I shall lay these verses down as they 
are pointed by the best Greek critics :— 

“ Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect?—God 
who justifieth? Who is he that condemneth?—Christ who died ? 
Or rather who is risen again? He, who is at the right hand of God ? 
He, who maketh intercession for us? Whoshall separate us from 
the love of Christ? Tribulation? or distress? or persecution? or 
famine? or nakedness? or peril? or sword/””—Inall these questions 
the apostle intimates that, if neither Gop nor Carist would bring 
any charge against them who love him, noneelse could, And as God 
justifies, through Christ who died ; consequently no charge can lie 
against these persons, as God alone cauld produce any; and He, so 
far from doing this, has justified, freely forgiven them their trespasses. 

For the proper meaning and sense of the terms chosen, elect, call- 
ed, &c. see the discourse prefixed to this epistle ; and especially sect. 
vi. p. xvii. &c, and sect. vil. p. xx. &c. 

Verse 34. Who is even at the right hand of God] To which he 
has exalted our human nature, which he took in conjunction with his 
Divinity : and there, he maketh intercession for us: manages all the 
concerns of his own kingdom in general ; and of every member of his 
church ineparticular. F 

Verse 35. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ ?] 1do 
think that this question has been generally misunderstood. The apos- 
tle is referring to the persecutions and tribulations to which genuine 
Christians were exposed through their attachment to Christ: and 
the gracious provision God had made for their support and final sal- 
vation. As in this provision, God had shown his infinite love to them 
in providing Jesus Christ as their sin-offering : and Jesus Christ had 
shown his love in suffering death upon the cross for them: so here, 
he speaks of the love of the followers of God, to that Christ who had 
first loved them. Therefore, the question isnot, Who shall separate 
the love of Christ from us? or prevent Christ from loving us? But 
who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Who or what shall 
be able to remove our affection from him? And the questions that 
immediately follow, show that this is the sense of the passage; for the 
tribulation, distress, &c. which he enumerates, are things by which 
they might be affected; but by which Christ could not be affected: 
and consequently, the question most evidently refers to their love to 


- 


ROMANS.—CHAP. VIII. 203 


36 °(As it is written, * For thy sake we are killed all the 
day long ; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.) 

37 » Nay in all things we are more than conquerors 
through him that loved us. 


a Psa. 44.22, 1 Cor. 15.30, 31. 2 Cor. 4. 11.—b1 Cor. 15, 57. 2 Cor. 2.14. 1Joh 
- 4.4, &5.4,5, Rev. 12.11. 


, 


him who had first loved them: and while it affords a strong pre- 
sumption of their perseverance ; furnishes a most powerful argument 
against apostasy. And that this is the meaning, is further evident 
from the 37th verse, leaving out the 36th, which is a parenthesis— 
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Tribulation? or dis- 
tress? or persecution? or famine? or nakedness? or peril? or sword? 
Nay : for in all these things we are more than conquerors through him 
who loved us. His love in us, keeps us in all these things steadily at- 
tached to him, so that they cannot separate us from him. 

Shall tribulation 2] ©asfis, grievous affliction, or distress of any 
kind: from 6a:6w, to compress, oppress, straiten, &c. any thing by 
which a man is rendered miserable. 

Or distress?| rsvoxwpiz, a word of nearly the same import with 
the former; but more intense in its signification. It signifies strait- 
ness, being hemmed in on every side, without the possibility of get- ~ 
ting out, or escaping; from sévos, strait, or narrew; and Zwpor, a 
place. 

Or persecution ?] Atwyos, from diwxw, to pursue, press upon, 
prosecute : signifies such pursuing as an enemy uses, in order to over- 
take the object of his malice, that he may destroy him. 

Or famine?| Aspos, from rea, to fail; the total want of bread, 
and all the necessaries of life. 

Or nakedness?| Yupvorns, being absolutely without clothing ; 
forcibly expressed by the derivation of the word, yusa pove sxuy, 
having one’s limbs only, being totally unclothed. 

Or peril?] Kuvduyos, astate of extreme and continued danger, 
perplexing and distressing, with grievous forebodings and alarms; de- 
rived from xivst ras oduyas, it excites anguish; because much evil 
is felt, and much wore feared. 

Or sword?) Mayaspe, slaughter; the total destruction of life ; 
and especially beheading, and such like, done by order of the civil 
magistrate ; for the word is used in this epistle, chdp»xiii. 14. to sig- 
nify the authority and power which he has of judicially terminating 
life; i.e. of inflicting capital punishment. eS 

Verse 36. As itis written] And these are no mo we may 
naturally expect from the present constitution of the world; and the 
positive predictions of the prophet, Psa. xliv. 22. who foresaw that a 
wicked world would always persecute and oppress the true follow- 
ers of God. ’ 

Verse 37. Nay] As the prophet adds, in the same place, Ali 
this is come upon us, yet have we not forgotten thee, nor dealt falsely in 


: van he oe) ee ee 
204 ROMANS.—CHAP. VIII. 


38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor 
angels, nor * principalities, nor powers, nor things present, 
nor things to come, i +) 

39 Nor height. nor depth. nor any other creature, shall 
be able to separate us from the love of God which is in 


Christ Jesus our Lord. 


s 


a Eph. 1. 21. & 6. 12. Col. 1.16. & 2.15. 1 Pet. 3. 22. 


thy covenant, verse 17, 18. so all these things may happen unto us: 
but in all these things we are more than conquerors ; WE abide faith- 
ful in the new covenant of our God; and H&E is faithful who has pro- 
mised to support and make us more than conquerors: i. e. togive us 
acomplete triumph over sin, and death, and hell; not leaving one 
enemy unsubdued. v4 

Verse 38. For I ampersuaded] After the blessed experience we 
have had of support, by the grace and Spirit of him that loved us; 
that neither fear of death, nor hope of life, nor evil angels, nor prin- 
cipalities, nor powers, persecuting us for Christ’s sake ; nor the things 
we endure at present, nor the things to come, whatever tribulations 
We may be called to suffer in future: 

Verse 39. Nor height of honour, nor depth of ignominy ; nor any 
other creature, ours ric xricts eree2, (nor any other thing whatever, 
shall be able to separate us, who love God, from the love of God, whi 
he has vouchsafed to us, in Christ Jesus. See Whitby. And for 
farther observations on the subject of the 29th and 30th verses, see at 
the end of the epistle. 


1. The confidence expressed by the apostle, at the end of this 
chapter, is as rational as it is bold. On the premises laid down by 
him, in reference to which he has most logically conducted his whole 
argument, the conclusion at which he arrives, is as natural and for- 
cible as it is legitimate. The permanency of the Christian church 
in all the tribulations it has endured from Pagans and Papists, is a 
full proof of the correctness of the apostle’s reasoning. The true 
followers of Christ can never be forsaken by him. And his church, 
which is founded on the rock, can never be shaken down by the tem- 
pests of persecution. And what*God does for his church, in gene- 
ral, (the collective body of thosé who believe in the Lord Jesus, love 
and obey him,) he does for every individual in that body; no man 
that tun him can be confounded. ‘While the love of God is 
in his heart, and the work of God in his hand, he may be as fully 
persuaded as he is of his own being, that neither death, nor life, nor 
angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to 
come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other thing whatsoever, shall be 
able to separate him from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus. 
The reader, who has any knowledge of what is great a aa 
and sublime in composition, will not hesitate to add here, with Dr. 


ROMANS.—CHAP. VIII. 205 


Taylor, ‘ The conclusion of this chapter is the most elegant and sub- 
lime piece of writing | remember ever to have read. It is founded 
on the grand and solid principles of the Gospel; it breathes the true 
spirit of Christian magnanimity ; raises our minds far above all things 
created; and shows, in a bright and heavenly view, the greatness of 
soul, and the strong consolation which the Gospel inspires. God 
grant, that it may stand clear before*our understandings, and be 
transcribed into all our hearts! They who despise the Gospel, des- 
pise all that is great, and happy, and glorious!” 

2. The doctrine of the necessity of personal holiness, so clearly and 
strongly laid down in the former part of this chapter, should be 
deeply considered by every person professing godliness; and -while 
from the 7th chapter, they learn that they have an infected and mo- 
rally diseased nature, they sbould learn from the 8th that, to destroy 
the work of the devil was Jesus Christ manifested ; and that no soul 
can be said to be saved by Jesus Christ who is not saved from its sins. 
What a full proof is it of the fallen state of man, that there should be 
found persons, professing Christianity, more fervent in their pleadings 
for the necessary continuance of indwelling sin, than they are for the 
mind that was in Christ. The seventh chapter, because there are 
some expressions which, being misunderstood, seem to favour this 
doctrine, is read and incessantly quoted : the 8th chapter, though given 
by the same inspiration, yet because it so strongly shows the necessity 
ef being saved from all sim, is seldom read, and scarcely ever quoted ! 

3. The restoration of the brute creation to astate of happiness, has 
been thought by several to be the doctrine of verses 19—25. In the 
notes on those verses, I have given reasons against.this opinion: and 
have proved that the Gentiles, and not the irrational part of the cre- 
ation, are the persons of whom the apostle speaks; nor can any con- 
sistent interpretation be given of the place, if it be applied to the 
brute creation. But although this doctrine is not contained in the 
above verses, it does not follow that the doctrine itself is not true.— 
Indeed there are several reasons which render the supposition very 
probable. 1. The brute creation never sinned against God; nor are 
they capable of it: and, consequently, cannot be justly liable to pun- 
ishment. 2. But the whole brute creation is in a state of suffering; 
and partake of the common infirmities and privations of life, as well 
as mankind : they suffer, but who can say that they suffer justly? 3. 
As they appear to be necessarily involved in the sufferings of sinful 
man; and yet neither through their fault, nor their folly ; it is natu- 
ral to suppose that the Judge of all the earth, who ever does right, 
will find some means, by which these innocent creatures shall be 
compensated for their sufferings. 4. That they have no compensa- 
tion here, their afflictions, labours, and death, prove : and if they are 
to have any compensation, they must have it in another state. 5. God, 
the Fountain of all goodness, mast ‘have originally designed them for 
that measure of happiness which is suited to the powers with which 
he had endowed them. _ But, since the fall of man, they never had 
that happiness; and, in their present circumstances, nevercan. 6. 
As te intelligent beings, God has formed his purposes in reference to 

18 


_ We ae. ce Wale ft 


206 ROMANS.—CHAP. VItl. 


their happiness, on the ground of their rational natures. He has de- 
creed that they shall be happy, if they will, all the means of it being 
placed within their power; and if they be ultimately miserable, it is 
the effect of their own unconstrained choice: therefore, his purpose is 
fulfilled, either in their happiness or misery; because he has purpo- 
sed that they shall be happy, if they please; and that misery shall be 
the result of their refusal. 7: But it does not appear that the brute 
creation are incapable of this choice ; and it is evident that they are 
not placed in their present misery through either their choice or their 
sin; and if no purpose of God can be ultimately frustrated, these 
creatures must be restored to that state of happiness for which they 
have been made ; and of which they have beew deprived through the 
transgression of man. 8. To say, that the enjoyments which they 
have in this life, are a sufficient compensation, is most evidently 
false: for, had not sin entered into the world, they would have had 
much greater enjoyments, without pain, excessive labour, and toil, 
and without death; and all those sufferings which arise from its pre- 
disposing causes. Nor doesit appear that they have much happiness 
from eating, drinking, and rest, as they have these only in the pro- 
portion in which they are necessary to their existence, as the slaves 
of men. Therefore, allowing that they have even gratification and 
enjoyment in life, they have much less than they would have had, 
had uot sin entered into the world; and, consequently, they have 
been deprived of the greater portion of the happiness designed for 
them by their bountiful Creator. 9. It is therefore obvious that the 
gracious purpose of God has not been fulfilled in them : and that, as 
they have not lost their happiness through their own fault, both the 
beneficence and justice of God are bound to make them a reparation. 
10. Hence it is reasonable to conclude, that as from the. present con- 
stitution of things, they cannot have the happiness designed for thenx 
in this state, they must have it in another. 

4. On the subject of the foreknowledge of God, some observations 
have been made at the conclusion of the notes on the 2d chapter of 
Acts. On the subject of the prescience and predestination mentioned 
here, verses 29 and 30. vast volumgs have been written, and the 
Christian world greatly agitated and perplexed. These doctrines of 
men have very little place in the texts in question. After a long and 
serious investigation of this business, I am led to conclude that whe- 
ther the doctrine of the decrees be true or false, it does not exist in 
these verses. 

No portion of the word of God has been more unhappily misun- 
derstood, than several parts of the Epistle to the Romans; because 
men have applied to individuals, what belongs to nations: and refer- 
red to eternity, transactions which have taken place in time. 

We have already seen that one grand aim of the apostle in writing 
this epistle, was 1. To prove, to both Jews and Gentiles, that they 
were all under sin, and that neither of them had any claim either on 
the justice or beneficence of God ; yet he, of hisown free mercy, had 
revealed himself to the Jews, and crowned them with innumerable 
privileges: and 2. That ashe was no respecter of persons, his mercy 


A ie 


ROMANS.—CHAP. VIII. 207 


was.as free to the Gentiles as to them, being equally their God as he 
was the God of the Jews; and therefore had by the Gospel, called 
them to a'state of salvation; and to this display of his mercy, the two 
verses in question seem particularly to refer; and show us not what 
God will do for some selected individuals, but what he has already 
done for nations. 

After having shown that the whole Gentile world was groaning 
and travailing in pain together, waiting for the manifestation of the 
sons of God; he shows us that it was according to the affectionate 
purpose, weoGeric, of God, that the Gentiles should be’ also called 
into the glorious liberty of {he sons of God; into equal privileges with 
the Jews. *He therefore represents them as objects of God’s gracious 
foreknowledye. That the word xe07:1@¢xw, whichliterally signifies to 
know, or discern beforehand ; and to know, so as to determine, signifies 
also fo approve, or love before, to be well affected to, is not only evident 
from y+ yada, ia Hebrew, but also from the simple verb y1yacx@, in 
Greek, by which it is translated; and to which the compound verb 
repeatedly answers, without any extension of meaning by means of 
the preposition, as its use amoung the best Greek writers proves: and 
it is evident that the apostle uses the word in the sense of loving, be- 
ing graciously affected to, inchap. xi. 2. I say, then, hath God cast 
away lis people, which he FOREKNEW, ov reeszvw; to whom he has 
been so long graciously affected? Byno means. As, therefore, he 
had been so long graciously affected towards the Jews, so has he to- 
wards the Gentiles. His call of Abraham, and the promises made to 
him, are the proofs of it. The Jews, thus foreknown, were called 
into a glorious state of salvation, and endowed with privileges the 
most extraordinary ever bestowed on any people; as their whole 
history testifies. But is God the God of the Jews only? Ishe not | 
also the God of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also, chap. iii. 
29. and to prove this, is the main subject of the ninth chapter. Now, 
as he is' the God of the Gentiles, he foreknew, had from the begin- 
ning a gracious purpose to them as well as to the Jews; and being 
thus graciously disposed towards them, he determined, rgowe:oc, from 
meo, before, and ogi€w, to bound, define, &c. he defined, circumscri- 
bed, and determined the boundaries of this-important business, from 
the beginning, that they also should be taken into his church, and 
conformed tothe image of his Sou; and as Jesus Christ was to be 
their pattern, it must be by his Gospel that they should be brought 
into the church, and consequently, that bringing in, could ‘not take 
place before the revelation of Christ. Having, therefore, thus fore- 
known, and thus predestinated them also, he called them also by the 
Gospel, he justified them also, on their believing; and he glorified 
them also, dignified them also with the same privileges, blessings, 
honours, and divine gifts: so that they were now, what the Jews 
had been before, the peculiar people of God. The apostle, there- 
fore, speaks here not of what they should be, or of what they might 
be, but of what they then were: the called, the justified, the highly 
honoured ot God. See the note on ver. 30. 

It is strange that so obvious a meaning of the passage should not 


oe a 


208  ROMANS.—CHAP. VIII. 


have been noticed; but the worddoaéw#, which we render to glorify, 
and by which we understand eternal beatification, which it is very sel- 
dom used to express, being taken in this sense, in the passage in ques- 
tion, fixed the meaning of the preceding terms; and thus the whole 
passage was applied to things eternal, which had reference only to 
things in time. This seems to me to be the true key of the passage; 
and the whole scope of the epistle, and especially of the context, 
shows, that this is the sense in which it should be understood. The 
passages understood in this way, illustrate the infinite mercy and wis- 
dom of God; they show that whatever appearances his providential 
dealings may assume of partiality towards any particular people, yet, 
he is equally the Father of the spirits of all flesh; hateth nothing that 
he hath made; is loving to all; that his tender mercies are over all 
his works; and that he is not willing that any should perish, but that 
all should come unto the knowledge of the truth, and be saved. 
Hence, whatever he did for the Jews, he purposed to do for the Gen- 
tiles: if he foreknew, predestinated, called, justified, and glorified the 
former; he also foreknew, predestinated, called, justified, and glori- 
fied the latter; having brought them into the same state of sal- 
vation, with a vast extension of blessings and higher degrees of ho- 
nour. As the Jews forfeited their privileges, and now, instead of 
being glorified, instead of being highly honoured, and rendered illus- 
trious, they are degraded, brought down, and rendered contempti- 
ble: because they have not made a proper use of their election, 
they are now reprobated: so a similar reverse awaits the Gentiles if 
they sin after the similitude of their transgression; and itis against 
this that the apostle so solemnly warns them, chap. xi. 17—22. Be- 
cause of unbelief, they (the Jews) were broken off—thou (the Gen- 
tiles) standest by faith.—If God spared not the NATURAL BRANCHES, 
take heed lest he also spare not THEE. Behold the goodness and seve- 
rity of God; on them which FELL, severity; but lowards THER, good- 
ness, IF THOU CONTINUE in his goodness! otherwise, THOU ALSO 
shalt be cuT o¥F. 

5. This is also a lesson of solemn instruction to Christians in gene- 
ral: God has called them into a glorious state of salvation; and has 
furnished them with every requisite help to enable them to work out 
that salvation with fear and trembling. As it isan awful thing to 
receive.the grace of God in vaiv, (whether that grace imply the com- 
mon benefits of the Gospel, or those especial blessings received by be- 
lieving souls; so every person professing godliness, should be jealous 
over himself, lest he should trifle with matters of eternal moment; 
for should he even néglect so great a salvation, his eseape would be 
impossible: Heb. ii. 3. and if so, to what severe punishment must 
they be exposed, who despise and reject it! 


CHAPTER IX. 


Paul expresses his great sorrow for the unbelief and obstinacy of the Jews, 
1—3. Whose high privileges he enumerates, 4, 5. Points out the manner 
im which God has chosen to communicate the knowledge of his name, te 


——_-° ? 77 
a ~ 


ROMANS.—CHAP. IX. 209 


both Jews and Gentiles ; and how he deals, whether in judgment or mercy, 
with individuals; and produces the cases of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, 
Esan, and Pharaoh, 6—17. God shows mercy and judgment as he thinks 
proper, and none has a right to find fault with his proceedings, 18—20. 

_ He has the same power over the human race as the potter has over the clay, 
21—23. The prophets predicted the calling of the Gentiles, and the re- 
jection of the Jews, 24—29. The Gentiles have attained to the knowledge 
of God’s method of saving sinners : while the Jews have not attained this 
knowledge, 30, 31. The reason why the Jews have not attained the zal- 
vation provided for them in the Gospel, 32, 33. 


I @ SAY the truth in Christ, | lie not, my conscience alse 
bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost, ; 


aCh.1.9. 2 Cor. 1. 23. & 11. 31. & 12. 19. 


NOTES ON CHAPTER IX. : 

To this and the tenth chapter, Dr. Taylor has prefixed the follow- 
ing judicious summary :— 

The apostle having largely proved, in the preceding chapters, 
that the grace of God extends to the Gentiles, as well as to the Jews; 
and that the dispensation of God’s mercy was absolutely, and in 
itself, free to all who believe, whether Jews or Gentiles, in opposi- 
tion to the merit of any works, or of conformity to any law what- 
ever; and that the Gentiles have, by faith a good title to the bless- 
ings of God’s covenant; to which blessings the Jews cannot have a 
title any other way. Hitherto the apostle has not considered the 
Jews as rejected, except in an indirect way ; but. that they had the 
possibility of continuing in the church, from entering into which 
they should not attempt to prevent the Gentiles, but allow them to 
be sharers in the mercies of God:—and hence his language is in 
sum this: Why may not believing Gentiles be admitted, pardoned, 
and saved, as well as you ? 

But in this chapter, and the two following, the apostle considers 
the reception of the Gentiles into the kingdom and covenant of God, 
under the notion of calling or invitation, and of election or choice : 
which shows that he views the two parties in a light different to that 
in which he had before placed them. The Gentiles he considers as 
invited into the kingdom of God, and as chosen to be his people ; 
and the Jews, he considers as left out and rejected; for, as the main 
body of them had now rejected the Gospel of Christ, he saw that 
God was about to unchurch them, overturn their polity, destroy 
their temple, and disperse them over the face of the earth. Thus, 
he knew they would be accursed, or anathematized from Christ, 
and reduced toa level with the heathen nations of the world. And 
the event has proved that his declarations were dictated by the 
Spirit of truth. 

It is observable that, agreeably to his delicate manner of writing, 
and his nice and tender treatment of his countrymen, he never men- 
tions their rejection, a subject extremely painful to his thoughts, 
otherwise than in a wish, that Ae himself were ac@ursed from 

18 * 


210° ROMANS.—CHAP. IX. 


@ That: 1 have great heaviness and continual sorrow in 
a heart. +4 
@ Ch. 10. 1. 


+ 


Christ for them, or to prevent them from being accursed from Christ ; 
(ix. 3.) till he comes to chap. xi. where he has much to say in their 
favour, even considered, as at present, rejected. Bat it is very evi- 
dent that his arguments, in this chapter, rest on the supposition that 
the main body of the J ewish nation would be east out of the visible 
kingdom of God ; and it is for this reason, that in this, atid the two 
following chapters, he considers the reception of any people into the 
kingdom and covenant of God under the relative notion of inviting 
and choosing; or of calling and election. The Jews were rejected 
and reprobated : the Gentiles were chosen and called, or elected. 
As this is most obviously the apostle’s meaning, it is strange that any 
should apply his doctrine to the particular and unconditional repro- 
bation and election of individuals. 

It is upon this rejection of the Jews, that the calling and election 
of the Gentiles rest. If the Jews be not rejected, but are still the 
visible church and kingdom of God ; then, the Gentiles, according 
to the most proper inference from the apostle’s doctrine, have no 
right to the blessings of the kingdom. Instead of being invited or 
called, they are intruders at the heavenly feast ; and this, the unbe- 
lieving Jews laboured to prove, and thus unhinge the believing Gen- 
tiles by persuading them that they were not duly taken into the 
church of God; that the Jews were, and ever must continue to be 
the only church and kingdom of God; and that they could not be 
cast off, so long as God was faithful io his promise to Abraham ; and 
that the Gentiles were most miserably deceived, when they sup- 
posed they were brought into that kingdom by faith in Christ ; 
whereas, there was no way of entering it, or of being entitled to its 
privileges, but by submitting to the law of Moses. This being the 
fixed opinion of the Jews, and the ground on which they opposed the 
Gentiles, and éndeavoured to sap the foundation of their hope of sal- 
vation from the Gospel of Christ; it was therefore a matter of the 
utmost importance to be able to prove, that the Jews, by rejecting 
Christ and his Gospel, were themselves cast out of the church ; and 
this, in a way perfectly consistent with the truth of the promise 
made to Abraham. He had slightly touched on this subject at the 

~ beginning of the 3d chapter ; but it would have broken in too much 
on the thread of his discourse, to have pursued the argument there, 
for which reason he appears to have reserved it to this place; where 
he (1.) Solemnly declares, his tenderest affection for his countrymen, 
and his real grief of heart, for their infidelity, and consequent rejection, 
ver. 1—5. 2. ) Answers objections against this rejection, ver. 6—23. 
(3.) Proves the calling of the Gentiles, from their own Scriptures, ver. 
24—30. (4.) Gives the true state and reasons of the rejection o 
the Jews, anil the calling of the Gentiles, ver. 30.'to ver. 14. of chap. 


ROMANS.—CHAP. IX. ait 


3 For *1 could wish that myself were ° accursed from 
Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh : 


"a Exod. 32. 32.—» Or, separated- 


x. (5.) Proves the necessity of the apostolic mission to the Gen- 
tiles, in order to their salvation, chap. x. 14. to the end. 

And all this was intended, at once, to vindicate the divine dispen- 
sations, to convince the infidel Jew, to satisfy the believing Gentile 
that his calling or invitation into the church of God’ was valid; to 
arm him against the cavils and objections of the unbelieving Jews, 
and to dispose the Christian Jew to receive ard own the believing 
Gentile as a member of the family and kingdom of God, by a di- 
. Vine right equal to any to which he himself could pretend. 

Verse 1. I say the truth in Christ, I lie not] This is one of the 
most solemn oaths any man can possibly take. He appeals to Christ 
as the Searcher of hearts, that he tells the truth ; asserts that his 
conscience was free from all guile in this matter, and that the Holy 
Ghost bore him testimony that what he said was true. Hence, we 
find that the testimony of a man’s own conscience, and the testimo- 
ny of the Holy Ghost, are two distinct things, and, that the apos- 
tle had both, at the same time. 

As the apostle had still remaining a very awful part of his com- 
mission to execute, namely to declare to the Jews not only that God 
had chosen the Gentiles, but had rejected them, because they had 
rejected Christ and his Gospel ; it was necessary that he should as-+ 
sure them, that however he had been persected by them because he 
had embraced the Gospel, yet, it was so far from being a gratifica- 
tion to him that they had now fallen under the displeasure of God, 
that it was a subject of continual distress to his mind; and that it 
produced in him great heaviness and continual sorrow. 

Verse 3. For I could wish that myself were aceursed from Christ} 
This and the two preceding verses, are thus paraphrased by Dr. 
Taylor. Iam so far from insisting on the doctrine (of the rejection 
ef the Jews) out of any ill-will to my countrymen, that I solemnly 
declare, in the sincerity of my heart, without the least fiction or 
dissimulation, and herein I have the testimony of my own conscience, 
enlightened and directed by the Spirit of God, that I am so far from 
taking pleasure in the rejection of the Jewish nation, that, contrari- 
Wise, it gives me continual pain and uneasiness, insomuch that as 
Moses formerly, when God proposed to cut them off, and in their. 
stead to make him a great nation, Exod. xxxii. 10. begged that he ~ 
himself should rather die than that the children of Israel should be 
destroyed, ver. 32; so,I could even wish that: the exclusion from 
the visible church, which will happen to the Jewish nation, might 
fall to my own share ; if hereby they. might be kept init. And to 
this lam inclined by natural affection, for the Jews are my dear 
brethren and kindred. 

Very few passages in the New Testament have puzzled critics and 
commentators more than this. Every person saw the perfect absur~ 


—- 


212 ROMANS.—CHAP. IX. 


4 * Who are Israelites ; » to whom pertaineth the adop- 
tion, and ¢ the glory, and the 4 covenants © and ‘ the giving 
of the Jaw, and & the service of God, and " the promises ; 


* Deut. 7. 6.—> Exod. 4. 22. Deut. 14.1. Jer. 31. 9.—c1 Sam. 4.21. 1 Kings 
3.11. Psa. 63.2. & 78. 61.—4d Acts 3.25. Hebr. 8. 8, 9, 10.—e Or testaments.— 
f Psa. 147. 19.—¢ Hebr. 9. 1—h 1 Acts 13.32. Ch. 3.2, Eph. 2.12. 


dity of understanding it in a literal senses; as no man in his right 
mind could wish himself eternally damned in order to save another ; 
or to save even the whole world. And the supposition that such an 
effect could be produced by such a sacrifice was equally absurd and 
monstrous. Therefore various translations have been made of the 
place, and different solutions offered. Mr. Wakefield says, I see no 
method of solving the difficulty in this verse, which has so exer- 
cised the learning and ingenuity of commentators, but by the 
topes evens of Homer, I profess myself to be; and he translates the 
passage in a parenthesis, thus, (for I also was once an alien from Christ) 
on account of my brethren, &c. But how it does appear that Saul 
of Tarsus was ever an alien from Christ on account of his kinsmen, 
is to me perfectly indiscernible. Let us examine the Greek text. 
Huyopyy pap auros eyo avalene evar amo rou Xpisou ursp ray 
aderpay wou, * For I did wish myself to be an anathema FROM 
Christ, (vx0, Bx Christ, as some ancient MSS. read,) for my bre- 
thren.’” As suxouny is the ist per. sing. of the imperfect tense, 
seme have been led to think that St. Paul is here mentioning what 
had passed through his own mind, when filled with the love of God, 
he learned the rejection of the Jews ; and that he only mentions it 
here as a thing which, in the effusions of his loving zeal, had been 
felt by him inconsiderately, and without any divine afflatus leading 
him to it ; but that he does not intimate that now, he felt any such 
unreasonable and preposterous wish. I am afraid this is but ill cal- 
culated to solve the difficulty. 

The Greek word eva$eu2, anathema, properly signifies any thing 
devoted to God, so as to be destroyed : it answers to the Hebrew toxn 
cherem, by which the Septuagint translate it; and means either a 
thing or person separated from its former state or condition, and de- 
voted to destruction. In this sense it is used Deut. vii. 25, 26. 
Josh. vi. 17, 18; vii. 12. This is the key to the whole passage. 

It is certain that the word, both among the Hebrews and Greeks, 
was used to express a person devoted to destruction for the public 
safety. In Midrash hanneelam, in Sohar Chadash, fol, 15. Rabbi 
Chaiyah the elder said, ‘* There is no shepherd found like unto 
Moses, who was willing to lay down his life for the sheep; for Moses 
said, Exod. xxxii. 32, ‘If thou wilt not pardon their sin, blot me, I 
pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written.’?’’ Such ana- 
themas, or persons devoted to destruction for the public good, were 
common among all ancient nations. See.the case of M. Curtius 
and Decius among the Romans. When a plague took place, or any 
public calamity, it was customary to take one of the lowest or most — 


ROMANS.—CHAP. IX. 213 


~ 


5 ® Whose are the fathers, and » of whom, as concerning 
the flesh, Christ came, © who is over all, God blessed for 
ever. Amen. 


a Deut. 10. 15. Ch. 11.28.—> Luke 3.23. Ch. 1. 3.—c Jer. 23. 6. John 1.1. Acts 
20.28. Hebr.1. 8. 1 John 5. 20. 


execrableof the people, and devote him to the Dii Manes, or infernal 
gods. See proofs in Schleusner, and see the observations at the end 
of the chapter. This one circumstance is sufficient to explain the 
word in this place. Paul desired to be devoted to destruction, as the 
Jews then were, in order to redeem his countrymen from this most 
terrible excision. He was willing to become a sacrifice for the pub- 
lic safety, and to give his life to redeem theirs. And as Christ may 
be considered as devoting them to destruction, see Matt. xxiv. Paul is 
willing that in their place Christ should devote him, for I could wish 
myself, avabena civas aro, (or, as some excellent MSS. have it, 
ume) rou Xeiscv; to be devoted by Christ, to that temporal destruc- 
tion to-which he has adjudged the disobedient Jews, if by doing so I 
. might redeem them. This, and this alone, seems to be the meaning 
of the apostle’s wish. 

Verse 4. Who are Israelites] Descendants of Jacob, a man so 
highly favoured of God, and from whom he received his name, [s- 
cael, a prince of God, Gen. xxxii. 28. from which name his descend- 
ants were called Israelites, and separated unto God for his glory and 
praise. Their very name of Israelites implied their very high dig- 
nity ; they were a royal nation ; princes of the most high God. 

The adoption] The Israelites were all taken into the family of God, 
and were called his sons and first-born, Exod. iv.22. Deut. xiv. 1. 
Jer. xxxi.9. Hos. xi. 1. And this adoption took place when God 
made the covenant with them at Horeb. 

The glory} The manifestation of God among them ; principally by 
the cloud and pillar, and the Shekinah, or divine presence, appear- 
ing between the cherubim over the mercy-seat. These were pecu- 
liar to the Jews ; no other nation was ever thus favoured. 

The covenants| The covenants made with Abraham, both that 
which relates to the spiritual seed, and that which was peculiar to 
his natural descendants, Gal.iii. 16, 17. which covenants were after- 
ward renewed by Moses, Deut. xxix. 1. Some suppose that the sin- 
gular is here put for the plural, and that by covenants we are to un- 
derstand the decalozue, which is termed n-3 berith, or covenant, 
Deut. iv. 13. But it is more likely that the apostle alludes to the 
great covenant made with Abraham, and to its various renewals and 
extensions at different times afterward ; as well as to its twofold de- 
sign, the grant of the land of Canaan, and the rest that remains for 
the people of God. 

The giving of the law] The revelation of God, by God himself; 
containing a system of moral aad religious precepts. This was also 
peculiar to the Jews ; for to no other nation had he ever given a re- 
velation of his will. 


" 


eae 


214 ROMANS.—CHAP. IX. gp 
6 * Not as though the word of God had taken none effect. 
For ® they are not all Israel which are of Israel : 
¢ 


——eeeeeeeeeeeeaaSSSSSSS———— 
4 Numb. 23.19. Ch. 3. 3.—> John 8.39, Ch. 2. 28, 29. & 4.12, 16. Gal. 6. 16. 


The service] Aargeta. The particular ordinances, rites, and cere~ 
monies of their religious worship; and especially the sacrificial sys- 
tem, so expressive of the sinfulness of sin, and the holiness of God. 

The promises| The land of Canaan, and the blessing of the Mes- 
siak and his kingdom; which promises had been made and often re~ 
peated to the patriarchs and to the prophets. , 

Verse 5. Whose are the fathers] Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Jo- 
seph, the twelve patriarchs, Moses, Joshua, Samuel, David, &c. 
without controversy, the greatest and most eminent men that ever 
flourished under heaven. From these, in an uninterrupted and un- 
polluted line, the Jewish people had descended ; and it was no small 
glory to be able to reckon, in their genealogy, persons of such incom- 
parable merit and excellency. vn ~ Ys 

And of whom, as concerning the flesh, Christ came] These an- 
cestors were the more renowned as being the progenitors of the hu- 
man nature of the Mxsstan. Christ, the Messiah, xara eaguc, 
according to the flesh, sprang from them. But this Messiah was 
more than man, he is God over all: the very being who gaye them 
being, though he appeared to receive a being from them. 

Here the apostle most distinctly points out the twofold nature of 
our Lord, his eternal Godhead, and his humanity; and all the trans- 
positions of particles, and alterations of points in the universe, will 
not explain away this doctrine. As this verse contains such an emi- 
nent proof of the Deity of Christ, no wonder that the opposers of 
his Divinity should strive, with their utmost skill and cunning, to 
destroy its force. And it must be truly painful to a mind that has 
nothing in view but truth, to see the mean and hypercritical methods 
used to elude the force of the text. Few have met it in that honest 
and manly way in which Dr. Taylor, who was a conscientious Arian, 
has considered the subject. ‘‘ Christ,” says he, “ is God over all, as 
he is by the Father appointed Lord, King, and Governor of all. 
The Father hath committed all judgment to the Son, John v. 22, has 
given all things into his hands, Matt. xxviii. 18. He is Lord of 
all, Acts x. 36. God has given him a name above every name, Phil. 
ii. 9. Above every name that is named, not only in this world, but 
also in that which is to come ; and has put all things (himself ex- 
cepted, 1 Cor. xv. 27.) under his feet, and given him to be Head over 
all things, Eph. i. 21, 22. This is our Lord’s supreme Godhead. 
And that he is evaopiiros, blessed for ever, or the object of everlasting 
blessings, is evident from Rev. v. 12, 13, Worthyisthe Lamb that was 
slain to receive power—and blessing and honour be unto him that sit- 
teth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever. Thus itap- 
pears, the words may be justly applied to our blessed Lord.”” Notes, 
p. 329. Yes, and when we take other scriptures into the account, 


ROMANS.—CHAP. IX. 215 


73 Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are 
they all children : but, in » Isaac shall thy seed be called. 


*a Gal. 4.23.—b Gen. 21.12. Hebr. 11. 18. 


where his essential Godhead is particularly expressed, such as 
Colos. i. 16, 17, For by him were all things created, that are in hea- 
ven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be 
thrones, or dominions, or principalities or powers; all things were 
created BY him and FoR him; and heis BEFORE all things, and Bx 
him do ail things consist ; we shall find that he is not God by investi- 
ture or office, but properly and essentially such; for it is impossible 
to convey in human language, to human apprehension, a more com- 
piete and finished display of what is essential to Godhead, indivisi- 
ble from it, and incommunicable to any created nature, than what 
is contained in the above verses. Amd while these words are al- 
lowed to make a part of divine revelation, the essential Godhead 
of Jesus Christ will continue to be a doctrine of that revelation. 

I pass by the groundless and endless conjectures about reversing 
some of the particles, and placing points in different positions, as 
they have been all invented toget rid of the doctrine of Christ’s di- 
vinity, which is so obviously acknowledged by the simple text : it 
is enough to state that there is no omission of these important words 
in any MS. or Version yet discovered. 

Verse 6. JVotas though the word of God hath taken none effect 
A Jew might have objected, asin chap. iii, 3. *¢ Is not God bound by 
his faithfulness to coniinue the Jews as his peculiar church and peo- 
ple, notwithstanding the infidelity of the major part of them? If 
they are brought to a level with the Gentiles, will it not follow that 
God hath failed in the performance of his promise to Abraham, Gen. 
xvii. 7, 8, I will establish my covenant between me and thee, for an 
everlasting covenant ; to bea God unio thee, and thy seed after thee.” 
To which it may be answered, this awful dispensation of God to- 
wards the Jews is not inconsistent with the veracity of the divine 
promise ; for even the whole body of natural-born Jews are not 
the whole of the Israelites comprehended in the promise. Abraham 
is the father of many nations; and his seed is not only that which is 
of the law, but that also which is of the faith of Abraham, chap. iv. 
16,17. The Gentiles were included in the Abrahamic covenant as 
well as the Jews; and therefore have no exclusive right to the 
blessings of God’s kingdom. * P| 

Verse 7. Neither because they are the seed of Abraham, &c.| Nor 
ean they conclude, because they are the natural descendants of 
Abraham, that therefore they are all of them, without exception, 
the children in whom the promise is to be fulfilled. 

But, im Isaac shall thy seed be called.) The promise is not. con- 
fined to immediate natural descent, but may be accomplished in any 
part of Abraham’s posterity. For Abraham had several sons be- 
sides Isaac, Gen, xxy. 1, 2. particularly Ishmael, who was circuns _ 


Oe ene ay a | ee ig a SS 
216 ROMANS.—CHAN. 1X. ahd 


8 That is, They which are the children of the flesh, 
these are not the children of God: but * the children of 
the promise are counted for the seed. 

9 For, this is the word of promise, » At this time will I 
come, and Sarah shall have a son. 


- 


a Gal. 4. 23.—b Gen. 18. 10, 14. 


cised before Isaac was born; and in whom Abraham was desirous 
that the promise should be fulfilled, Gen. xvii. 18. and im him God 
might have fulfilled the promise had he so pleased; and yet he said 
to Abraham, ,Gen. xxi. 12. not in Ishmael, but im Isaac shall thy 
seed be called. ; ‘ : 

Verse 8. That is, they which are the children of the flesh] Whence 
it appears that not the children who descend from Abraham’s loins, 
nor those who were circumcised as he was, nor even those whom he 
might expect and desire, are therefore the church and people of 
God; but those who are made children by the good pleasure and 
promise of God, as Isaac was, are alone to be accounted for the 
seed with whom the covenant was established. . 

Verse 9. For this is the word of promise, &c.} That is, this is 
evidently implied in the promise recorded Gen. xviii. 10, At this 
time I wiil come, saith God, and exert my divine power, and Sarah, 
though fourscore and ten years old, shall have a son; which shows 
that it is the sovereign will and act of God alone which singles out 
and constitutes the peculiar seed that was to inherit the promise 
made to Abraham. 

It should be considered that the apostle in this and the following 
quotations, does not give us the whole of the text, which he intends 
should be taken into his argument, but only a hint or reference to 
the passages to which they belong: directizg us to recollect or pe- 
ruse the whole passage, and there view and judge of the argument. 

That he is so to be understood, appears from the conclusion he 
draws, ver. 16. So then is is not of him that willeth, nor of him that 
runneth, but of God that showeth mercy. Yn his arguments, ver. 7 
and 8, &c. he says not ene word of Abraham’s willing Ishmael to 
be the seed in whom the promize might be fulfilled; nor of Isaac’s 
willing Esau; nor of Moses’s willing and mterceding that the Israel- 
ites might be spared; nor of Esau’s running for venison: but by 
introducing these particulars into his conclusion, he gives us to un- 
derstand that his quotations are to be taken in connexion with the 
whole story of which they are a part; and without this the apostle’s 
meaning cannot be apprehended. 

The same may be said of his conclusion, ver. 18. whom he will he 
hardeneth ; hardencth is not in his argument, but it is in the conclu- 
sion. Therefore hardening is understood in the argument, and he 
evidently refers to the case of Pharaoh. The generality of Jews 
were well acquainted with the Scriptures, and a hint was sufficient 
fo revive the memory of a whole passage.—TZaylor, p. 330. 


ROMANS.—CHAP. IX. 217 


10 And not only this; but when * Rebecca also had con- 
ceived by one, even by our father Isaac : 

11 (For the children being not yet born, neither having 
done either good or evil, that the purpose of God, accord- 
ing to election, might stand, not of works, but of ® him that 
calleth ;) 

12 It was said unto her, ©The ‘elder shall serve the 
© younger. 
== SSElenana™a™aS=™]=aS=S==S=a={a—_as==ay_a=aa_"=al{__7_"e=eaNn@a@a@a=lel_$V—_—weu—_e_oe—_e_e_—_e_e_eesS__eee—e—eS= 

a Gen. 25. 21.—b Ch. 4.17. & 8. 28.—c Gen. 25. 23.—d Or, ereater.—e Or, lesser. 
ooo eaeaeaaaa=@aeseaea6a_—a—aeqa0agp—€0—0—o————a—a—a———S—Ss——————aaaoaoaoaoo=== 

Verse 10. 4nd not only this] A Jew might object, ‘* Ishmael 
was rejected, not by the sovereign will of God, but because he was 
the son of the handmaid or bond-woman, and therefore unworthy to 
be the peculiar seed.”” But observe, this was not the only limitation 
of the seed of Abraham with regard to inheriting the promise; for, 
when Rebecca was with child by that one person of Abraham’s 
issue, to whom the promise was made, namely, our father Isaac; 
she went to inquire of the Lord, Gen. xxv. 22, 23. And the Lord 
said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb: and two manner of 
PEOPLE shall be separated from thy bowels; and one PEOPLE shall 
be stronger than the other PEOPLE ; and the elder shall serve the 
younger. That is, the posterity of the younger, shall be a nation 
much more prosperous and happy than the posterity of the elder. 

Verse 11. For, the children being not yet born] As the word 
children is not in the text, the word nations would be more proper ; 
for it is of nations that the apostle speaks, as the following verses 
show, as well as the history to which he refers. 

Neither having done any good| ‘To merit the distinction of being 
made the peculiar people of God.—JVor evil, to deserve to be leit 
out of this covenant, and the distinguishing national blessings which 
it conferred ; that the purpose of God according to election might 
stand, that such distinctions might appear to depend on nothing but 
God’s free choice, not of works or any desert in the peoples or na- 
tions thus chosen ; but of the mere purpose of him who calleth any 
people he pleases, to make them the depositories of his especial 
blessings, and thus to distinguish them from all others. 

Verse 12. The elder shall serve the younger.| These words, with 
those of Malachi, Jacob have I loved, and Esau have I hated, are 
cited by the apostle to prove, according to their typical signification, 
that the purpose of God according to election, does, and will stand, 
not of works, but of him that calleth; that is, that the purpose of 
God, which is the ground of that election which he makes among 
men, unto the honour of being Abraham’s seed, might appear to re- 
main unchangeable in him; and to be even the same which he had 
declared unto Abraham. That these words are used in a national, 
and not in a personal sense, is evident from this, that, taken in the 
latter sense, they are not true, for Jacob never did exercise any 

19 


a ry - ee ee 
218 ROMANS.—CHAP. IX. 


13 As it is written, * Jacob have I loved, but Esau have 
1 hated. { 


a Mal. 1. 2, 3. See Deut. 21. 15. Prov. 13.24. Matt. 10.37. Luke 14. 26. John 12. 5. 


power over Esau; nor was Esau ever subject to him. Jacob, on 
the contrary, was rather subject to Esau, aod was sorely afraid of 
him; and, first by his ‘messengers, and afterward, personally, ac- 
knowledged his brother to be his lord, and himself to be his servant, 
see Gen. xxxii. 4. xxxili. 8, 13. And hence it appears, that neither 
Esau, nor Jacob, nor even their posterities, are brought here by the 
apostle as instances of any personal reprobation from eternity. For 
it is very certain that very many, if not far the greatest part of Ja- 
cob’s posterity, were wicked, and rejected by God; and it is not 
less certain, that some of Esau’s posterity were partakers of the 
faith of their father Abraham. 

From these premises, the true sense of the words immediately fol- 
lowing, Jacob have I loved, and Esau have I hated, Malachi i, 2, 3. 
fully appears: that is, that what he had already cited from Moses 
concerning the two nations, styled by the names of their respective 
heads, Jacob and Esau; was but the same in substance with what 
was spoken many years after by the prophet Malachi. The un- 
thankful Jews had, in Malachi’s time, either in words, or in their 
heart, expostulated with God, and demanded of him wherein he had 
Joved them? ‘*] have loved you saith the Lord; yet ye say, 
Wherein hast thou loved us???’ Mal.i. 2,3, 4. To this, the Lord 
answers, “ Was not Esau Jacob’s brother? Yet I loved Jacob, and 
hated Esau, and laid his mountains and his heritage waste for the 
dragons of the wilderness. Whereas Edom saith, We are impover- 
ished, but we will return and build the desolate places: thus saith 
the Lord of hosts, They shall build, but I will throw down, and they 
shall call them the border of wickedness, and the people against 
whom the Lord hath indignation for ever. And your eyes shall see, 
and ye shall say, the Lord will be magnified from the border of 
Israel.”’ 

1. It incontestably appears from these passages, that the prophet 
does not speak at all of the person of Jacob or Esau, but of their re- 
spective posterities. For it was not Esau in person that said, We 
are impoverished ; neither were his mountains nor heritage laid 
waste. Now, if the prophet speaks neither of the person of the one, 
nor of the person of the other, but of their posterity only, then it is 
evident that the apostle speaks of them in the same way. 

2. If neither the prophet nor the apostle speaks of the persons of 
Jacob or Esau, but of their posterity, then it is evident that neither 
the love of God to Jacob, nor the hatred of God to Esau, were such, 
according to whiclt the eternal states of men either in happiness or 
misery, are to be determined: nor is there here any scriptural or 
rational ground for the decree of unconditional personal election and 
reprobation which comparatively modern times have endeavaured 


= 


ROMANS.—CHAP. IX. 
219 


14 What shall we say then? * Js there unrighteousness 
with'God? God forbid. 


=Deut 32.4. 2Chron. 19.7. Job8.3.&3210 Psa 9 15. 


to build on these scriptures. For, 1. It is here proved, that Esau is 
not mentioned under any personal consideration, but only as the 
head of his posterity. 2. The testimony of Scripture amply proves 
that all Esau’s posterity were not, even in this sense, reprobated ; 
nor all Jacob’s posterity elected. 3. Neither does that service, or 
subjugation to Jacob, which the Divine Oracle imposed on Esau, 
import any such reprobation as some contend for; as the servant 
may be elected, while the master himself is in a state of reprobation. 
4. Were it even granted that servitude did import such a reproba- 
tion, yet it is certain that Esau, im person, never did serve Jacob. 
5. Nor does the hatred of God against Esau, import any such repro- 
bation of the persona of Esau, because it is demonstrable, that it rela- 
ted not to Esau personally, but to his posterity. 6. The scope of the 
apostle’s reasoning is to show that God is the Sovereign of his own 
ways, has a right to dispense his blessings as he chooses; and to give 
salvation to mankind, not in the ways of their devising, but in that 
way that is most suitable to his infinite wisdom and goodness. 
Therefore—1. He chose the Jewish people from all others, and 
revealed himself to them. Thus they were the elect, and all the 
nations of mankind reprobate. 2. When the fulness of the time 
came, he revealed himself also to the Gentiles, who gladly received 
the Gospel; and the Jews rejecting it, were castoff. Thus the elect 
became reprobate; and the reprobate elect. 3. He published to 
all mankind, that the pardon of sin could and should be obtamed 
only by faith in his Son Jesus; and not by any obedience to any law. 
And the Jews, the descendants of Jacob, who rejected this way of 
salvation, became precisely like the Edomites, the descendants of 
Esan; they builded, but God pulled down; their mountaims and 
heritage are now laid waste for the dragons of the wilderness; and 
they properly may now be called, The border of wickedness ; a people 
against whom the Lord hath indignation for ever: they have rejected 
the Lord that bought them; and so have brought upon themselves 
swift destruction. 7. That no personal, absolute, eternal reproba- 
tion of Esau can have been intended, we learn from this; that he 
Was most amply reconciled to his brother, who had so deeply 
wronged and offended him, by depriving him of his birthright and 
bis blessing ; and his having forgiven his brother his trespasses, was 
mo mean proof that God had forgiven him. See our Lord’s words, 
Matt. vi. 14. Therefore, there can be assigned no competent ground 
of his damnation, much less of his personal reprobation from all eter- 
nity. &. And were such a personal reprobation intended, is it not 
shocking to suppose, that the God of endless mercy, in whose si 
his pious parents had found favour, should inform them, even 
their child was born, that he had absolutely consigned him, by an 


-* 


290 ROMANS.—CHAP. 1X. 


15 For he saith to Moses, *I will have mercy on whom 

I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom J 

will have compassion. “= 

EEE 
: a Exod. 33. 19. : 


irrevocable decree, to eternal damnation? A message of such hor- 

rid import, coming immediately from the mouth of God, to a tender, 
weak, and delicate woman, whose hour of travail with two children 

was just at hand, could not have failed to produce abortion, and de- 

stroy her life. But the parents perfectly understood their God, and 

saw no decree of reprobation in his message; éwo manner of nations 

are in thy womb—and the elder shall serve the younger. 9. There is 

no reason worthy the most wise and gracious God, why he should 

make known to the world such a thing concerning Esau, who was 
yet unborn, that he had reprobated him from all eternity. Sucha 
revelation could be of no spiritual advantage, or of edification to 
mankind, but rather of a malignant influence, as directly occasion- 
ing men to judge hardly of their Maker, and to conceive of him as 

no faithful Creator: as having no care, no love, no bowels of com- 

passion toward the workmanship of his own hands. See Goodwin’s 

Exposition : and see my notes on Gen. xxvii. : 

Verse 14. What shall we say then ?} To what conclusions shall we 
come on the facts before us? Shall we suggest that God’s bestow- 
ing peculiar privileges in this unequal manner, on those who other- 
Wise are in equal circumstances, is inconsistent with justice, and 
equity? By no means. Whatever God does is right, and he may 
dispense his blessings to whom, and on what terms he pleases. 

Verse 15. For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy, &c.] The words 
of God te Moses, Exod. xxxiii. 19. show, that God has a right to dis- 
pense his blessings as he pleases; for, after he had declared that he 
would spare the Jews of old, and continue them in the relation of 
his peculiar people, when they had deserved to have been cut off 
for their idolatry ; he said, J will make ali my goodness pass before 
thee; and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before thee; and I 
will have mercy on whom I will have mercy ; and I will have compas- 
sion on whom I will have compassion. As if he had said, I will make 
such a display of my perfections, as shall convince you na- 
ture is kind and beneficent: but know that I am a debtor to none of 
my creatures. My benefits and blessings are merely from my own 
good will : nor can any people, much less a rebellious people, chal- 
lenge them as their due in justice or equity. And, therefore, I now 
spare the Jews; not because either you, who intercede for them, or 
they themselves, have any claim upon my favour; but, of my own 
free and sovereign grace, I choose to show them mercy and compas- 
sion. I will give my salvation in my own way, and on my own 
terms. He that believeth on my Son Jesus, shall be saved : and he 
that believeth not, shall be damned. This is God’s ultimate design ; 


ROMANS.—CHAP. IX. 221 


16 So then, zt 2s not of him that willeth, nor of him that 
runneth, but of God that showeth mercy. 

17 For *the Scripture saith unto Pharaoh, » Even for 
this same purpose have I raised thee up, that | might show 
my power in thee, and that my name might be declared 
throughout all the earth. , 

18 Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mer- 
cy, and whom he will he hardeneth. 
ee 


“ _aSee Gal. 3. 8, 22.—b Exod. 9. 16. 


this purpose he will never change; and this ‘he has fully declared 
in the everlasting Gospel. 

Verse 16. So then, it is not of him that willeth, &c.| 1 conclude, 
therefore, from these several instances, that the making or continu- 
ing any body of men, the peculiar people of God, is righteously de- 
termined; not by the judgment, hopes, or wishes of men; but by 
the will and wisdom of God alone. For, Abraham judged that the 
blessing ought, and he willed, desired, that it might be given to 
Ishmael ; and Isaac also willed, designed it for his first-born Esau : 
and Esau wishing and hoping that it might be his, readily went, ran 
2 hunting for venison, that he might have it regularly conveyed to 
him: but they were all disappointed: Abraham and Isaac, who 
willed, and Esau, who ran; for God had originally intended that 
the blessing of being a great nation, and distinguished people, should, 
of his mere good pleasure, be given to Isaac and Jacob, and be con- 
firmed in their posterity ; and to them it was given. And when, by 
their apostasy, they had forfeited this privilege, it was not Moses’ 
willing, nor any prior obligation God was under, but his own sove- 
reign mercy, which continued it to them. 

Verse 17. For the Scripture saith unto Pharaoh] Instead of show- 
ing the Israelites mercy, He might justly have suffered them to have 
gone on in sin, till He should have signalized His wisdom and justice 
in their destruction ; asappears from what God in his word declares 
concerning his dealings with Pharaoh and the Egyptians, Exod. ix. 
15, 16. For now, saith the Lord, I had stretched forth my hand, (in 
the plague of boils and blains,) and I had smitten thee and thy people 
with the pestilence; and thou hadst (by this plague) been cut off from 
the earth, (as thy cattle were by the murrain,) but in very deed for 
this cause have I raised thee up. 1 have restored thee to health, by 
removing the boils and blains, and by respiting thy deserved destruc- 
tion to a longer day, that I may, in thy instance, give such a demon- 
stration of my power, in thy final overthrow, that all mankind may 
learn that I am God, the righteous Judge of all the earth, the Aven- 
ger of wickedness. See this translation of the original vindicated in 
my notes on Exod. ix. 15,16. And about the hardening of Pharaoh, 
spe the notes on those places where the words occur in the same book, 

Verse 18. Therefore hath e mercy on whom he will] This is the 

9% 


299 ROMANS.—CHAP. IX. 


19 Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find 
fault ? For * who hath resisted his will? > 

20 Nay but, O man, who art thou that » repliest against 
God ? © Shall the thing formed say to him that formed #, : 
Why hast thou made me thus ?. ae Fo 


a2Chron. 20.6. Job 9. 12. & 23. 13. Dan. 4. 35.—b Or, answerest again; or, 
disputest with God? Job 33. 13.—cIsa. 29. 16. & 45. 9. & 64. 8. 


SSS Oe 
apostle’s conclusion from the facts already laid down: that God ac- 
cording to his own will and wisdom, in perfect righteousness bestows 
mercy; that is to say, his blessings upon one part of mankind, (the 
Jews of old, and the Gentiles of the present time;) while he suffers 
another part, (the Egyptians of old, and the Jews of the present day,) 
to go on in the abuse of his goodness and forbearance, hardening 
themselves in sin, till he brings upon them a most just and exem- 
plary punishment. 

Verse 19. Why doth he yet find fault] The apostle here introdu- 
ces the Jew making an objection similar to that in chap. iii. 7. If 
the truth of God hath more abounded through my lie unto his glory, 
that is, if God’s faithfulness is glorified by my wickedness, why yet 
am I alsojudged as a sinner 2 Why am I condemned for that which 
brings so much glory to him? The question here is, if God’s glory 
be so highly promoted and manifested by our obstinacy, and he 
suffers us to proceed in our hardness and infidelity, why does he find 
fault with us? or punish us for that which is according to his good 
pleasure. 

Verse 20. Nay but, O man, who art thou] As if he had said— 
weak, ignorant man, darest thou retort on the infinitely good and 
righteous Gop? Reflect on thyself; and tell me, after.thou hast 
abused the grace of God, and transgressed his laws, wilt thou cayil at 
his dispensations? God hath made, created, formed, the Jewish na- 
tion : and shall the thing formed, when it hath corrupted itself, pre- 
tend to correct the wise and gracious Author of its being; and say, 
Why hast thou made me thus? Why hast thou constituted me in this 
manner? Thou hast done me wrong in giving me my being under 
such and such conditions. 

Old John Goodwin’s note on this passage is at least curious: ‘I 

‘ gearce, (says he) know any passage of the Scripture more frequently 
abused than this. When men, in the great questions of predestina- 
tion and reprobation, bring forth any text of Scripture, which they 
conceive makes for their notion; though the sense which they put 
upon it be ever so uncouth and dissonant from the true meaning of 
the Holy Ghost ; yet, ifany man contradict, they frequently fall upon 
him with, Nay but, O man, who art thou? Asif St. Paul had le 
them his heirs and successors in the infallibility of his spirit! But, 
when men shall calla solid answer to their groundless conceits, about 


ROMANS.—CHAP. 1X. 293 


21 Hath not the *potter power over the clay, of the 
same lump to make ° one vessel unto honour, and another 
unto dishonour ? . 

22 What if God, willing to show his wrath, and to make 
his power known, endured with much long-suffering © the 
vessels of wrath, ‘fitted © to destruction : 


«Prov. 16.4. Jer. 18.6. Wisd.15.7.—} 2 Tim. 2. 20.—c1 Thess. 5. 9.—4 Or, made 
up.— 1 Pet. 2.8. Jude 4. 


IIIIIICICCaea@aPePammququeSsssSsSssSsSsseeeewTwzx«. em 
the meaning of the Scriptures, a replying against God ; it savours 
more of the spirit who was séen falling like lightning from heaven, 
than of His who saw him in this his fall.” ; 

Verse 21. Hath not the potter power over the clay?] The apostle 

continues his answer to the Jew—Hath not God shown, by the para- 
ble of the potter, Jerem. xviii. 1, &c. that he may justly dispose of 
nations, and of the Jews in particular ; according as he, in his infinite 
wisdom, may judge most right and fitting ; even as the potter has a 
right, out of the same lump of clay, to make one vessel to a more 
honourable}and another toa less honourable use ; as his own judgment 
and skill may direct ; for no potter will take pains to make a vessel 
merely that he may show that he has power to dash it to pieces, 
For the word came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, Arise, go down 
to the potter's house, and there I will cause thee to hear my words. 
Then I went down to the potter’s house, and behold he wroughi a work 
upon the wheels. And the vessel that he made of clay, was marred in 
the hands of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as 
seemed good to the potter to make it. It was not fit for the more hon- 
ourable place in the mansion; and, therefore, he made it for a less 
honourable place ; but as necessary for the master’s use there, as it 
could have been in a more honourable situation. Then the word of 
the Lord came to me, saying, O house.of Israel, cannot I do with you as 
this potter? Behold, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are ye in 
my hand, O house of Israel. At what instant I shall speak concerning 
a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up,and to pull down, and 
to destroy it; if that nation against whom I have pronounced, turn 
from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them. 
And at what instant I shall speak concerning a nation—to build and 
to plant it, if it do evilin my sight, that it obey not my voice, then I will 
repent of the good wherewith I said I would benefit them. The refer- 
ence to this parable shows, most positively, that the apostle is speak- 
ing of men not individually, but nationally ; and it is strange that men 
should have given his words any other application, with this scripture 
before their eyes. } 

Verse 22. What if God, willing to show his wrath] The apostle re- 
fers here to the case of Pharaoh and the Egyptians ; and to which he 
applies Jeremiah’s parable of the potter : and, from them, to the then 
stateofthe Jews. Pharaoh and the Egyptians were vessels of wrath, 
persons deeply guilty before God ; and, by their obstinate refusal of 


ee 


904 ROMANS.—CHAP. IX. 


23 And that he might make known, *the riches of his 
glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had » afore pre- 
pared unto glory, P 


aCh, 2.4. Eph, 1.7. Col. 127.—) Ch. 8. 28, 29,30, ee 
Ds ic ooo! 
his grace, and abuse of his goodness, they had fitted themselves for 
that destruction which the wrath, the vindictive justice of God, in- 
flicted; after he had endured their obstinate rebellion, with much 
long-suffering : which is a most absolute proof, that the hardening of 
their hearts, and their ultimate punishment, were the consequences 
of their obstinate refusal of his grace, and abuse of his goodness; as 
the history in Exodus sufficiently shows. As the Jews of the apostle’s 
time had sinned, after the similitude of the Egyptians, hardening 
their hearts and abusing his goodness, after every display of his long- 
suffering kindness, being now fitted for destruction, they were ripe 
for punishment ; and that power, which God was making known for 
their salvation, having been so long and so much abused and provo- 
ked, was now about to show itself in their destruction as a nation. 
But, even in this case, there is nota word of their final damnation ; 
much less that either they, or any others, were, by a sovereign decree, 
reprobated from all eternity ; and that their very sins, the proximate 
cause of their punishment, were the necessary effect of that decree, 
which had, from all eternity, doomed them to endless torments. As 
such a doctrine could never come from God, so it never can be found 
in the words of his apostle. 

Verse 23. And that he might make mer God endured with 
much long-suffering the vessels of wrath; 1. To show his wrath, and 
to make his power known: And also, 2. That he might make known 
the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy. 

Whick he had afore prepared unto glory.| The Jews were fitted 
for destruction long before; but the fittest time to destroy them was 
after he had prepared the believing Gentiles unto glory. For, the 
rod of the Messiah’s strength was to be sent out of Zion, Psal. ex. 2. 
The Jewish nation was to supply the first preachers of the Gospel ; 
and from Jerusalem their sound was to go forth into all the earth. 
Therefore, the Jewish state, notwithstanding its corruptions, was to 
be preserved till the Messiah came ; and even till the Gospel preach- 
ed by the apostles had taken deep root in the Gentile world. Ano- 
ther thing which rendered the time, when the Jewish polity was over- 
thrown, the most proper, was this, because then, the im ate occa~ 
sion of it was the extensiveness of the divine grace. They would not 
have the Gentiles admitted into the church of God ; but contradict- 
ed and blasphemed, and rejected the Lord that bought them: thus 
then, the extensiveness of the divine grace occasioned their infidelity, 
ver. 33. chap. x. 3. xii. 11, 12, 15, 28, 30. Thus the Jews were di- 
minished, by that abundance of grace which has enriched the Gen- 
tiles. Andso the grace of God was illustrated; or,so God made 
known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy—the apostles 


ROMANS.—CHAP. IX. 295 


24 Even us, whom he hath called, # not of the Jews only, 
but also of the Gentiles ? ips 

25 As he saith also in Osee, I will call them my people, 
which were not my people ; and her beloved, which was 
not beloved. 

26 © And it shall come to pass, that in the place where it 
was said unto them, Ye are not my people ; there shall 
they be called, The children of the living God. 

———— ee 

3 a Ch. 3, 29.—b Hos. 2. 23. 1Pet. 2. 10.—c Hos. 1. 10. 


and primitive believers among the Jews, and the Gentile world 
which received the Gospel by the preaching of the apostles and their 
successors. 

Verse 24. Even us, whom he hath called] All the Jews and Gen- 
tiles who have been invited by the preaching of the Gospel to receive 
justification by faith in our Lord Jesus Christ ; and have come to the 
Gospel feast on this invitation. : 

Verse 25. As he saith also in Osee] It is a cause of not a little 
confusion, that a uniformity in the orthography of the proper names 
of the Old and New Testaments has not been preserved. What 
stranger to our sacred books would suppose that the Osee above, 
meant the prophet Hosea? from whom, chap. ii. ver. 23. this quota- 
tion is taken ; [ will have mercy on her thai had not obtained mercy ; 
and I will say to them which were not my people, Thou art my people. 
The apostle shows. that this calling of the Gentiles was no fortuitous 
thing, but a firm purpose in the Divine mind, which he had largely 
revealed to the prophets: and by opposing the calling of the Gentiles, 
the Jews, in effect, renounced their prophets, and fought against God. 

Verse 26. And it shall come to pass, &c.] These quotations are ta- . 
ken out of Hosea, chap. i. 10. where (immediately after God had re- 
jected the ten tribes, or kingdom of Israel, chap. 1.9. then saith God, 
call hisname Lo-ammi ; for ye are not my people, and Iwill not be your 
God ;) he adds, yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the 
sand of the sea which cannot be measured nor numbered : and it shall 
come to pass, that in the place in which it was said unio them, Ye are 
not my people ; there, it shall be said unto them, Ye are the sons of the 
tiving God. Asif he had said, The decrease of numbers in the 
church, by Gods utterly taking away the ten tribes, ver. 6. shall be 
well supplied by what shall afterward come to pass by calling the 
Gentiles into it. They, the rejected Jews, which had been the peo- 
ple of God, should become a Lo-ammi, not my people. On the con- 
trary, they, the Gentiles, who had been a Lo-ammi, not my peoples 
should become the children of the living God. Again, chap. ii. 23. 
I will sow her (the Jewish church) unto me in the earth, (alluding 
probably to the dispersion of the Jews over all the Roman empire, 
which proved a fruitful cause of preparing the Gentiles for the re- 
ception of the Gospel, and, or moreover, I will have mercy upon her, 


va 


¢ 
226 ROMANS.—CHAP. IX. 


27 Esaias also crieth concerning Israel, * Though the 
number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, 
> a remnant shall be saved : Ce 

28 For he will finish * the work, and cut 2 short in righ- 
teousness : because a short work will the Lord make oe 
the earth. ; ‘ 

29 And as Esaias said before, © Except the Lord of Sa- 
baoth had left us a seed, ‘we had been as Sodoma, and 
been made like unto Gomorrha. 


a Isa. 10. 22, 23.—b Ch. 1. 5.—c Or, the account.—4 Isa. 28. 22.—e Isa. 1.9. Lam 
3. 22.—fIsa. 13,19. Jer. 50. ‘ < 


Re body of the believing Gentiles, that had not obtained mercy. See 
aylor. 

Verse 27. Esaias also crieth] The apostle pursues his argument, 
which had for its object the proof that God, for their infidelity, had 
rejected the great body of the Jews; and that but a few of them 
‘would embrace the Gospel, and be saved from that besom of destruc- 
tion which was now coming to sweep them and their state away. Dr. 
Taylor paraphrases this and the following verses thus: And, that but 
a small remnant of the Jews shall now be taken into the church, is 
agreeable to former dispensations : for the prophet Isaiah expressly 
declares concerning the Israelites, chap. x. 22, 23. Though the num- 
ber of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, (or the promise 
to Abraham has been amply fulfilled,) only a remnant shall be saved ; 
the consumption decreed shall overflow in righteousness. For the Lord 
God of Hosts shall make a consumption, even determined in the midst 
of all the land. 

Verse 28. For he will finish the work, and cut it short, &e.] These 
appear to be forensic terms, and refer to the conclusion of a judicial 
proceeding ;—the Lord has tried and found them guilty; and will 
immediately execute upon them the punishment due to their trans- 
gressions. 

Verse 29. And as Esaias said before] What God designs to do 
with the Jews at present, because of their obstinacy and rebellion, is 
similar to what he has done before, to which the same prophet refers, 
~ chap. i. 9. Except the Lord of Hosts had left us a very small remnant, 
we should have been as Sodom, and we should have been like unio Go- 
morrah: i.e. had not God, who commands and oyerrules all the 
powers in heaven and earth, in mercy preserved a very small rem~- 
nant, to keep up the name and being of the nation, it had been quite 
cut off and extinct, as Sodom and Gomorrah were. Thus we learn, 
that it isno new thing with God to abandon the greatest part of the 
Jewish nation when corrupt ; and to confine his favour and blessing 
to a righteous believing few. 

. Tustead of remnant, sw sarid, both the Septuagint and the apostle 
have ox:piay a seed, intimating that there were left just enow of the 


ROMANS.—CHAP. IX. 227 


30 What shall we say then ? * That the Gentiles, which 
followed not after righteousness, have attained to righ- 
teousness, » even the righteousness which is of faith. 

31 But Israel, © which followed after the law of righ- 
teousness, “ hath not attained to the law of righteousness. 

32 Wherefore? Because they sought it not by faith, but 
as it were by the works of the law. For © they stumbled 
at that stumbling stone ;. 


2 Ch. 4. 11. & 10. 20.» Ch. 1. 17.—¢ Ch. 10. 2. & 11. 7.—4Gal. 5. 4.—e Luke 2. 
34 1 Cor. 1. 23. 


righteous, to be a seed for a fature harvest of true believers. So, the 
godly were not destroyed from the land; some remained, and the 
harvest was in the days of the apostles. 

Verse 30. What shall we say then?| What is the final conclu- 
sion to be drawn from all these prophecies, facts, and reasonings?" 
This, that the Gentiles, which followed not after righteousness, &c. 
This, with the succeeding verses, together with what belongs to the 
same subject, in the beginning of the following chapter, I have ex- 
plained at large in the notes on chap. i. 17. to which I must refer the 
reader ;.and shall content myself, in this place, with Dr. Taylor’s 
general paraphrase. We may suppose the apostle to express himself 
to the following effect: Thus I have vindicated the rejection of the 
Jews, and the calling of the Gentiles, with regard to the divine vera- 
city andjustice. Now let us turn our thoughts to the true reason and 
. state of the affair, considered in itself. Andin the first place: What 
just notion ought we to have of the calling of the Gentiles, and the re- 
jection of the Jews? I answer, the true notion of the calling or inviting 
of the Gentiles is this; whereas they had no apprehension of being 
reinstated in the privileges of God’s peculiar kingdom, and conse- 
quently used no endeavours to obtain that blessing; yet, notwith- 
standing, they have attained to justification, to the remission of sins, 
and the privileges of God’s people : not on account of their prior wor- 
thiness and obedience, but purely by the grace and mercy of God, re- 
ceived by faith on their part. And so by embracing the scheme of 
life, published by the Gospel, they are adopted into the family and 
church of God. Thus the Gentiles are called or invited. 

Verse 31. But Israel, which followed after] But theJews whohave 
hitherto been the people of God, though they have been iadustrious 
in observing a rule by which they supposed they could secure the 
blessings of God’s peculiar kingdom; yet have not come up to the 
true and only rule, by which those blessings can be secured. 

_ Verse 32. Wherefore?) And where lies their mistake? Being 
ignorant of God’s righteousness—of his method of saving sinners by 
faith in Christ’; they went about to establish their own righteousness, 
their own method of obtaining everlasting salvation. They attend 
trot to the Abrahamic covenant, which stands on the extensive prin- 


\ Pee en |) lee 


298 ROMANS.—CHAP. 1X. 


33 Asit is written, * Behold, I lay in Zion, astumbling- 
stone and rock of offence ; and » whosoever believeth on 
him shall net be ¢ ashamed. hal 


a Psa. 118.22. Isa. 8, 14, & 28.16. Matt, 21.42, 1 Pet. 2.6, 7,8—b Ch. 10, 11. 
© Or, confounded. _ 


ciples of grace and faith ; but they turn all their regards to the law 
of Moses. They imagine that their obedience to that law, gives them 
a right to the blessings of the Messiah’s kingdon, But finding that 
the Gospel sets our especial interest in God, and the privileges of his 
church, on a different footing, they are offended, and refuse to come 
into it. 

Verse 33. As it is written, Behold, I layin Sion] Christ, the Mes- 
siah, is become a stone of stumbling to them ; and thus what is written 
in the prophecy of Isaiah, is verified in their case, Isa. viii. 14. xxviii. 
16. Behold, I lay in Sion, i. e. I shall bring in my Messiah; but he 
shall be a widely different person from him whom the Jews expect; 
for whereas they expect the Messiah to be a mighty secular prince, 
and to set up a secular kingdom, he shall appear a man of sorrows 
and acquainted with griefs ; and redeem mankind, not by his sword, 
or secular power, but by his humiliation, passion, and death. There~- 
fore they will be offended at him and reject him ; and think it would 
be reproachful to trust in such a person for salvation. 

And whosoever believeth on him] Butso far shall any be from con- 
fusion or disappointment, who believes in Christ; that, on the con- 
trary, every genuine believer shall find salvation: the remission of 
sins here, and eternal glory hereafter. See the notes on chap. i. 16. 
and 17. and Dr. Taylor’s paraphrase and notes. 


1. On the subject of vicarious punishment, or rather the case of 
one becoming an anathema, or sacrifice for the public good, in illus- 
tration of chap. ix. 3. I shall make no apology for the following ex- 
tracts, taken from an author whose learning is vast, and whose piety 
is unblemished. \ 

« When mankind lost sight of a beneficent Creator, the God of pu- 
rity, and consecrated altars to the sun, the moon, the stars, to demons, 
and to hero gods, under the names of Moloch, Ashtaroth and Baalim; 
these objects of their worship led them to the most horrid acts of 
cruelty, and to every species of obscenity ; even their sons and their 
daughters they burnt in the fire to their gods, more especially in 
seasons of distress. Such was the conduct of the king of Moab ; for 
when he was besieged in his capital, and expected he should fall 
into the hands of his enemies, he took his eldest son, who should have 
reigned in his stead, and offered him for a burnt offering on the wail. 

With these facts thus related from the Seriptures, all accounts, _ 
ancient and modern, exactly correspond. Homer, who it must be 
recollected, wrote more than nine hundred years before the Chris- 

tian era, although he describes chiefly the common sacrifice of quad 


ROMANS.—CHAP. IX.” 999 


rupeds, yet gives one account of human victims. But, in succeeding 
generations, when it was conceived that one great and most malig- 
nant spirit was the proper object of their fear, or that subordinate 
provincial gods, equally malignant, nesciague humanis precidus 
mansuescere corda, disposed of all things in our world; men bound 
their own Species to the altar, and in circumstances of national dis- 
tress presented such as they valued most, either their children or 
themselyes. Herodotus informs us, that when the army of Xerxes 
came to the Strymon, the Magi offered a sacrifice of white horses to 
thatriver. On his arrival at the Scamander, the king ascended the 
citadel of Priam; and having surveyed it, he ordered a thousand 
oxen to be sacrificed to the Trojan Minerva. But on other occasions 
he chose human victims; for we are informed that when, having 
passed the Strymon, he reached the nine ways, he buried alive, 
nine young men, and as many virgins, natives of the country. In this 
he followed the example of his wife, for she commanded fourteen 
Persian children, of illustrious birth, to be offered in that manner to 
the deity who reigns beneath the earth. Thus, in the infancy of 
Rome, we see Curtius, for the salvation of his country, devoting him- 
self tothe infernal gods, when, as it appears, an earthquake had 
occasioned a deep and extensive chasm in the forum; and the 
augurs had declared, that the portentous opening would never 
close till what contributed most to the strength and power of 
the Romans should be cast into it; but that by such a sacri- 
fice they would obtain immortality for their republic. When all 
men were at a loss how to understand this oracle, M. Curtius, 
armed as for battle, presented himself in the forum, and explained 
it thus:—‘ What is more valuable to Rome than her courage 
and her arms?? Sosaying he urged forward his impetuous steed 
and buried himself in the abyss. His grateful countrymen admired 
his fortitude, and attributed the increasing splendour of their state to- 
the sacrifice he made. "Animated by this example, Decius, in the 
war between Rome and Latium, having solemnly offered himself as 
an expiatory sacrifice, rushed single into the thickest ranks of the as- 
tonished Latians, that by his death he might appease the anger of the 
gods, transfer their indignation to the enemy, and secure the victory 
to Rome. Conspectus ab utroque acie aliquanto, augustior humano 
visu, sicut Coeio missus piaculum omnis deorum ire, qui pestem ab 
suis aversam in hostes ferret. : 

Here we see distinctly marked the notion of vicarious suffering, 
and the opinion, that the punishment of guilt may be transferred from 
the guilty to the innocent. The gods call for sacrifice; the victim 
bleeds; atonement is made; and the wrath of the infernal powers 
falls im its full force upon the enemy. Thus while Themistocles at 
Salamine was offering sacrifice, three captives, the sons of Sandance, 
and nephews to Xerxes, all distinguished for their beauty, elegantly 
dressed and decked, as became their birth, with ornaments of gold, 
being brought on board his galley ; the augur Euphrantides observing 
at that very instant a bright flame ascending from the altar, whilst 
one was sneezing on the right, which he regarded as a propitious 

fo} 


“ > ee ee a aoe 


: £ 


230 ROMANS.—CHAP. IX. > Fr 


omen, seized the hand of Themistocles, and commanded that they 
should all be sacrificed to Bacchus, (w“»s» Aropyvea—eruel and re- 
lentless Bacchus! Homer has the same expression,) predicting on 
this condition safety and conquest to the Greeks. Immediately the 
multitude with united voices called on the god, and led the captive 
princes to the altar, and compelled Themistocles to sacrifice them. 

So when AXneas was to perform the last kind office for his friend 
Pallas, he sacrificed, (besides numerous oxen, sheep, and swine) eight 
captives to the infernal gods. In this he followed the example of 
Achilles, who had caused twelve Trojans, of high birth, to bleed 
by the sacerdotal knife, over the ashes of his friend Patroclus. 


A hundred feet in length, a hundred wide, 
The glowing structure spreads on every side ; 
High on the top the manly corse they lay, 
And well-fed sheep, and sable oxen slay ; 
Achilles covered with their fat the dead, = 
And the piled victims round the body spread ; we 
Then jars of honey, and of fragrant oil, 
Suspends around, low bending o’er the pile. 
Four sprightly coursers, with a deadly groan 
Pour forth their lives, and on the pyre are thrown. 
Of nine large dogs domestic at his board, 
Fell two, selected to attend their lord ; 
The last of all, and horrible to tell, 
Sad sacrifice ! twelve Trojan captives fell. 
On these the rage of fire victorious preys, 
Tnvolves and joins them in one common blaze. 
Smeared with the bloody rites, he stands on high, 
And calls the spirit with a cheerful cry, 
All hail, Patroclus! let thy vengeful ghost 
Hear, and exult on Pluto’s dreary coast. 
Porx’s Homer, It. xxiii. ver. 203. 


How much was it to be lamented, that even civilized nations should 
forget the intention for which sacrifices were originally instituted ! 
The bad effects, however, would not have been either so extensive 
er sogreat, had they not wholly lost the knowledge of Jehovah ; and 
taken, as the object of their fear, that evil and apostate spirit, whose 
name, with the utmost propriety, iscalled Apollyon, or the destroyer ; 
and whose worship has been universally diffused, at different periods, 
among all the nations of the earth. 

The practice of shedding human blood, before the altars of their 
gods, was not peculiar to the Trojans and the Greeks ; the Romans 
followed their example. In the first ages of their republic, they sa- 
erificed children to the goddess Mania; in later periods, numerous 
gladiators bled at the tombs of the Patricians, to appease the manes 
of the deceased. And it is particularly noticed of Augustus, that 
after the taking of Perusia, he sacrificed, on the ides of March, three 
hundred senators and knights to the divinity of Julius Cesar. 

The Carthaginians, as Diodorus Siculus informs us, bound them- 
selves, by a solemn vow, to Chronus, that they would sacrifice to him 
children, seleZ ed from the offspring of their ncbles; but in process 


-ROMANS.—CHAP. IX, 931 


of time, they substituted for these the children of their slaves, which 
practice they ‘tontinued, till, being defeated by Agathocles, tyrant 
of Sicily ; and attributing their disgrace to the anger of the god, they 
offered two hundred children, taken from the most distinguished fa- 
‘milies in Carthage ; beside which, three hundred citizens presented 

“themselves, that, by their voluntary death, they might render the 
deity propitious to their country. The mode of sacrificing these chil- 
dren was horrid in the extreme; for they were cast into the arms of 
a brazen statue, and from thence dropped into a furnace, as was 
practised among the first inhabitants of Latium. It was probably 
in this manner, the Ammonites offered up their children to Moloch, 
The Pelasgi, at one time sacrificed a tenth part of all their children, 
in obedience to an oracle. 

The Egyptians, in Heliopolis, sacrificed three men every day to 
Juno. The Spartans and Arcadians scourged to death young women 5 
the latter to appease the wrath of Bacchus ; the former, to gratify 
Diana. The Sabian idolatersin Persia offered human victims to 
Mithras; the Cretans, to Jupiter, the Lacedemonians and Lusita- 
nians, to Mars; the Lesbians, to Bacchus; the Phocians, to Diana ; 
the Thessalians, to Chiron. - 

The Gauls, equally cruel in their worship, sacrificed men, origi- 
nally, to Eso, and Teutate; but latterly to Mercury, Apollo, Mars, 
Jupiter, and Minerva. Cesar informs us, that whenever they thought 
themselves in danger, whether from sickness, or after any considera- 
ble defeat in war, being persuaded that, unless life be given for life, 
the anger of the gods can never be appeased ; they constructed wicker 
images of enormous bulk, which they filled with men, who were first 
suffocated with smoke, and then consumed by fire.—For this pur- 
pose they preferred criminals ; but when a sufficient number of these 
could not be found, they supplied the deficiency from the community 
at large. 

The Germans are said to have differed from the Gauls, in having 
no Druids, and in being little addicted to the service of the altar. 
Their only gods were the Sun, Vulcan, and the Moon; yet, among 
the objects of their worship, was Tuisco, their progenitor, and Wo- 
den, the heroof the north. It is true that neither Cesar nor Tacitus 
say any thing of their shedding blood in sacrifice ; yet the probability 
is, that, like the Saxons, and other northern nations, they not only 
offered blood, but took their choicest victims from the human race. 

In Sweden, the altars of Woden smoked incessantly with blood; 
this flowed most abundantly at the solemn festivals celebrated every 
ninth year at Upsal. Then the king, attended by the senate, and by 
all the great officers about his court, entered the temple, which glit- 
tered on all sides with gold, and conducted to the altar nine slaves, 
or in time of war, nine captives. These met the caresses of the mul- 
titude, as being about to avert from them the displeasure of the gods, 
and then submitted to their fate ; but in fimes of distress, more noble 
victims bled; and it stands upon record, that when Aune their king 
was ill, he offered up to Woden his nine sons, to obtain the prolonga- 
tion of his life. ' 


259 ROMANS.—CHAP. IX. 


The Danes had precisely the same abominable customs. Every 
ninth year, in the month of January, they sacrificed y-nine men, 
with as many horses, dogs, and cocks : and Hacon, king of Norway, 
offered his own son, to obtain from Woden the victory over Harold ; 
with whom he was at war. i 

In Russia, the Slavi worshipped a multitude of gods, and erected 
to them innumerable altars.—Of these deities Peroun, that is, the 
Thunderer, was the supreme; and before his image many of their 
prisoners bled. Their god of physic, who also presided over the sa- 
cred fires, shared with him ; and the great rivers, considered as gods, 
had their portion of human victims, whom they coyered with their 
inexorable waves. But Suetovid, the god of war, was the god in 
whom they most delighted: to him they presented annually, as a 
burnt offering, three hundred prisoners, each on his horse; and, when 
the whole was consumed by fire, the priests and people sat down to 
eat and drink, till they were drunk. It is worthy of remark, that the 
residence of Suetovid was supposed to be in the sun. ? 

To this luminary, the Peruvians before they were restrained by 
fhe Incas, sacrificed their children. 

Among the sacred books of the Hindoos, the Ramayuna demands 
particular attention, because of its antiquity, the extent of country 
through which it is revered, and the view which it exhibits of the 
religion, doctrine, mythology, customs, and manners of their remote 
progenitors. 

In this we have a golden age of short duration, succeeded by a 
state of universal wickedness and violence, which continued till the 
Deity, incarnate, slew the oppressors of the human race, and thus 
restored the reign of piety and virtue. 

This poem contains a description of the Ushwanvedha or most 
solemn sacrifice of the white horse, instituted by Swuymbhoo, that 
is, by the Self-existent. At the celebration of this festival, the mo- 
narch, as the representative of the whole nation, acknowledged his 
transgressions; and when the offerings were consumed by the sacrifi- 
cial fire, he was considered as perfectly absolved from his offences. 
Then follows a particular account of a human sacrifice, in which the 
victim, distinguished for filial piety, for resignation to his father’s 
will, and for purity of heart, was bound by the king himself, and de- 
livered to the priest; but, at the very instant when his blood was 
to have been shed, this illustrious youth, was, by miracle, delivered ; 
and the monarch, as the reward of his intended sacrifice, received 
virtue, prosperity, and fame. ‘ 

It is well known that the Brahmins have, in all ages, had their 
human victims, and that even in our days, thousands have volunta- 
rily perished under the wheels of their god Jaghernaut.”” 

4 Townsend’s Character of Moses, p. 76. 


Though in the precedingénotes I have endeavoured to make every 
point as clear and plain as possible ; yet it may be necessary, in order 
to see the scope of the apostle’s design more distinctly, to take a ge- 
neral survey of thé whole. No man has written with more judgment 


ROMANS.—CHAP. IX. 2338 


on this epistle than Dr. Taylor ; and from his notes I borrow the prin- 
cipal part of the following observations. — 

The principal thing that requires to be settled in this chapter is, 
what kind of election and reprobation the apostle is arguing about: 
whether élection, by the absolute decree and purpose of God, to 
eternal life; and reprobation, by a like absolute decree, to eternal 
misery; or only election to the present privileges and external ad- 
vantages of the kingdom of God in this world: and reprobation, or 
rejection, as it signifies the not being favoured with those privileges 
and advantages. I think it demonstrably clear, that it is the latter 
election and rejection the apostle is discoursing on, and not the for- 
‘mer, as the following considerations appear to me to demonstrate. 

I. The subject of the apostle’s argument is manifest}y such privi- 
leges as are enumerated, verses4, 5. who are Israelites, to whom per- 
tains the adoption, &c. From these privileges, he supposes the Jews 
had fallen, or would fall; or, that for a long time they would be de- 
prived of the benefit of them. For it is with regard to the loss of 
those privileges that he was so much concerned for his brethren, his 
kinsmen according to the flesh, ver. 2,3. And it is with reference to 
their being stripped of these privileges, that he vindicates the word 
and righteousness of God, ver. 24. Not as though the word of God 
had taken no effect, or failed, &c. proving that God according to his 
purpose of election, was free to confer them upon any branch of Abra- 
ham’s family. Consequently, those privileges were the singular 
blessings which, by the purpose of God according to election, not of 
works, but of him that calleth, were conferred upon Jacob’s poste- 
rity. But those privileges were only such as the whole body of the 
Israelites enjoyed in this world, while they were the church and 
people of God: and such privileges as they might afterward lose ; 
or of which they might be deprived. Therefore, the election of 
Jacob’s posterity to those privileges was not an absolute election to 
eternal life. 

II. Agreeably to the purpose of God according to election, it was 
said unte Rebecca, the elder shall serve the younger, meaning the 
posterity of the elder and the younger; for Gen. xxv. 23. The Lord 
said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, andiwo manner of 
PEOPLE shall be separated from thy bowels, and the one PEOPLE shall 
be stronger than the other PEOPLE; and the elder shall serve the 
younger. These are the words which signify the purpose of God ac- 
cording to election. Therefore the election refers to Jacob’s poste- 
rity, or the whole nation of Israel. But all the nation of Israel were 
not absolutely elected to eternal life. Therefore, the purpose of 
God according to election, referred to temporal and not to eternal 
blessings ; and was a privilege of which they might be deprived. 

Ill. Agreeably to the purpose of God according to election, it was 
said to Rebecca, the elder shall serve the younger: but to serve, in 
Scripture, never meant to be eternally damned in the world to 
come. Consequently, the opposite blessings bestowed upon the pos- 
terity of the younger, could not be eternal salvation; but certain 
‘privileges in this life, Therefore, the purpose according to electiorr, 


a. a a eee 


234 _ ROMANS.—CHAP. IX. 
refers to those privileges; and the servitude does not imply ever= 
lasting perdition. VA 


IV. Fhe election the apostle speaks of, is not of works, ver. 11. 
but of the mere will of God, who calls and invites ; and refers fo no 
qualifications in the persons thus elected and called : but in no part 
of the Sacred Writings is final salvation said to be given to any who 
are not qualified by ‘holiness to receive and enjoy it. Therefore, 
election to eternal glory cannot be what the apostle speaks of in this 

epistle. 

- V. The election, of which the apostle speaks, took place, first in 
Abraham and his seed, before his seed was born; and then (seclu- 
ding Ishmael and all his posterity,) in Isaac and his seed before they 
wereborn. And then secluding Esau and all his posterity, in Jacob 
and his seed before they were born. But the Scripture no where 
represents eternal life as bestowed upon any family or race of men 
in this manner. Therefore, this election mentioned by the apostle, 
eannot be an election unto eternal life. 

VI. Vessels of merey, vor. 23. are manifestly opposed to vessels of 
wrath, ver. 22. The vessels of mercy are the whole body of the Jews 
and Gentiles, who were called or invited into the kingdom of God, 
under the Gospel, ver. 24. consequently the vessels of wrath are the 
whole body of the unbelieving Jews. So in ver. 30, 31. the whole 
body of believing Gentiles, who, according to God’s purpose of elec- 
tion, had attained justification, are opposed to the whole body of the 
Israelites, who came short of it. But men shall not be received into 
eternal life, or subjected to eternal damnation, at the last day, i 
Collective bodies; but according as particular persons, in those he: 
dies, have acted well or ill. Therefore, this election is not of these 
particular bodies unto eternal life, &c. 

Vil. Whoever carefully peruses the ixth, xth, aut xith whee 
will find, that those who have not believed, chap. xi. 31. are’ the 
sent rejected Jews; or that Israel to whom blindness hath happened 
an part, ver. 25. the same who fell, and oa whom God hath shown se- 
vertty ; ver. 22. the same with the natural branches whom God spared 
not: ver. 21. who were broken off from the olive-tree ; verses 20. 19, 
and 17. who were cast away; ver. 15. who were diminished and fallen ; 
ver. 12. who had stumbled, ver. 11. who were a disobedient and gain- 
saying people ; chap. x. 21. who being ignorant of God’s righteousness, 
went about to establish their own; ver. 3. because they sought righte- 
ousness not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law; chap. 
ix. 32. and therefore, had not attained to the law of righteousness ; 
ver. 31. the same people spoken of in all these places, are the vessels 
of wrath fitted for destruction ; ver. 22. and the same for whom Paul . 
had great heaviness and continual sorrow of heart ; ver. 2, 3. in short, 
they are the unbelieving nation, or people of Israel: and it is with 

regard to the reprobation or rejection of this people that he is argu- 
ing, and vindicating the truth, justice, and wisdom, of God, in this 
ninth chapter. 

Now, if we turn back and review those three chapters, we shall 
find that the apostle, chap. xi. 1. heartily desired and prayed that” 


ROMANS.—CHAP. 1X. 235 


those same reprobated and rejected people of Israel might be saved; 
he affirms that they had not stumbied so as to fall finally and irreco- 
verably ; chap. xi. 11, that they should have again a fulness ; ver. 
12. that they should be received again into the church; ver. 15. that 
a holiness still belonged to them; ver. 16. that if they did not siilZ 
abide in unbelief, they should be graffed into their own olive-tree 
again; yer. 23,24. that blindness had happened unto them only for a 
time, “ill the fulness of the Gentiles be come in ; ver. 25, and then he 
proves, from Scripture, that al/ Israel, all those nations at present 
under blindness, shall be saved; ver. 26, 27. that as touching the 
(original) election, they were still beloved for the fathers’, the patri- 
archs’ sake ; ver. 28. that in their case, the gifls and calling of God 
_ were without repentance ; ver. 29. that through our (the believing 
Gentiles’) mercy, they shall at length obtain mercy, ver. 31. All 
these several things are spoken of that Israel, or the body of people 
concerning whose rejection the apostle argues in the ninth chapter. 
And, therefore, the rejection which he there argues about, cannot 
be absolute reprobation to eternal damnation; but to their being, as 
a nation, stripped of those honours and privileges of God’s peculiar 
church and kingdom in this world, to which, at a certain future pe- 
riod, they shall again be restored. 

- VIII. Once mere: whoever carefully peruses those three chap- 
ters will find, that the people who in ¢imes times past believed net 
God, but have now obtained mercy through the unbelief of the Jews, 
chap. xi. 30. are the whole body of the believing Gentiles : the same 
who were cut out of the olive-tree which is wild by nature; and were 
graffed contrary to nature, into the good olive-tree, ver. 24, 17. the 
same to whom God hath shown goodness, ver. 22. the woRLD that 
was reconciled, ver. 15. the GENTILES who were enriched by the 
diminishing of the Jews, ver. 12. to whom salvation came through 
their fall, ver. 11. the Gentiles who had attained to righteousness, 
(justification,) chap. ix. 30. who had not been God’s people, nor be- 
loved ; but now were his people, beloved, and children of the living 
God, ver. 25, 26. even us whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, 
but also of the Gentiles, ver. 24. who are the vessels of mercy, on 
whom Ged has made known the riches of his glory, ver. 23. the vessels 
made unio henour, ver. 21. He speaks of the same body of men in 
all these places; namely of the believing Gentiles, principally, but 
not excluding the small remnant of the believing Jews, who were in- 
corporated with them. And it is this body of wen, whose calling 
and election he is proving, in whose case the purpose of God accord- 
ing to election stands good, chap. ix. 11. Aud, who are the children 
of the promise that are counted for the seéd, ver. 8. these are the elec- 
tion, or the elect. 

Now, concerning this called or elect body of people, or any par- 
ticular person belonging to this body, the apostle writes thus, chap. 
xi. 20—22. well, because of unbelief, they (the Jews) were broken off, 
{reprobated, rejected) and thou standest (in the church among God’s 
called and elect,) by faith: be not high-minded, but fear. For if 
God spared not the natural branches, (the Jews) take heed lest he aiso 


236 ROMANS.—CHAP. X. | 


spare not thee, (the Gentiles. Behold therefore the goodness and seo ' 
verity of God: on them (the Jews) which fell, severity; but towards 
thee, (believing Gentiles) goodness ; if thou continue in his good- 
ness; otherwise thou also shalt be cut off, rejected, reprobated. This 
proves, that the calling and election, for which the apostle is argu- 

ing in the ixth chapter, is not absolute election unto eternal life, but 

to the present privileges of the church; the honours and advan- 
tages of God’s peculiar people; which election, through unbelief 
and misimprovement, may be rendered void, and come to nothing. 
Notes, p. 330, &c. 

From thus carefully considering the apostle’s discourse, and taking 
in his scope and design, and weighing the different expressions he 
uses, in connexion with the Scripture facts, and Scripture phrases 
employed in describing those facts; we must be fully convinced, 
that the doctrines of eternal, absolute, unconditional election and 
reprobation, have no place here; and that nothing but a pre-esta- 
blisbed creed, and a total inattention to the apostle’s scope and de- 
sign, could ever have induced men to bend these scriptures to the 
above purpose; and thus to endeavour to establish, as articles of 
faith, doctrines, which, far from producing glory to God in the high- 
est, und peace and good will among men, have filled the church of 
God with contention, set every man’s sword against his brother, 
and thus done the work of Apollyon in the name of Christ. If men 
will maintain these, and such like, for Scriptural doctrines, doctrines 
repugnant to the Divine nature, it is but reasonable to request that 
it be done in the spirit of the Gospel. 


CHAPTER X. 


The apostle expresses his earnest desire for the salvation of the Jews, 1. 
Having a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge, they sought sal- 
vation by works, and not by faith in Christ, 2—4. The righteousness 
which is of the law, described, 5.. That which is by faith described also, 
6—10. He that believes and calls on the name of the Lord shall be 
saved, 11—13. What is necessary to salvation—believing, hearing, 
preaching, a divine mission, the Gospel, and obedience to its precepts, 
14—16. Faith comes by hearing, 17. The universal spread of the Gospel 
predicted by the prophets, 18—20. The ingratitude and disobedience of 
the Israelites, 21. . 


RETHREN, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for 
Israel is, that they might be saved. f 


ms NOTES ON CHAPTER X. 


Verse 1. My heart’s desire, &c.] Though the apostle knew that 
the Jews were now in a state of rejection, yet he knew also, that 
they were in this state through their own obstinacy; and that God 
was still waiting to be gracious; and consequently, that they might 
sti]l repent and turn tohim. Of his concern for their salvation, he 


ROMANS.—CHAP. X. 237 


2 For I bear them record * that they have a zeal of God, 
_ but not according to knowledge. 
_ 3 For they being ignorant of ° God’s righteousness, and 
going about to establish their own ¢ righteousness, have not 
‘submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. 

4 For ‘Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to 
every one that believeth. 


i > le alee ee & 4.17. See Ch. 9. 31.—bCh. 1. 17. & 9. 30.— 
¢Phil. 3. 9.—d Matt. 5.17. Gal. 3. 24. 


had already given ample proof, when he was willing to become a 
sacrifice for their welfare, see chap. ix. 3. 

Verse 2. They have a seal of God| They believe their law to 
have come immediately from God himself; and are jealous of its 
glory and excellence: they conscientiously observe its rites and ce- 
remonies ; but they do not consider the object and end of those rites. 
‘They sin more through ignorance than malice; and this pleads in 
their excuse. By this fine apology for them, the apostle prepares 
them for the harsher truths which he was about to deliver. 

Verse 3. For—being ignorant of God’s righteousness} Not know- 
ing God’s method of saving sinners, which is the only proper and 
efficient method: und going about to estublish their own righteous- 
ness ; seeking to procure their salvation by means of their own con- 
triving: they have not submitted ; they have not bowed to the deter- 
minations of the Most High, relative to his mode of saving mankind, 
viz. through faith in Jesus Christ, as the only available sacrifice for 
sin; the end to which the law pointed. 

Verse 4. For, Christ is the end of the law] Where the law ends, 
Christ begins. The law ends with representative sacrifices ; Christ 
begins with the real offering. The law is our schoolmaster to jead 
us to Christ; it cannot save, but it leaves us at His door, where 
alone Salvation is to be found. Christ, as an atoning sacrifice for 
sin, was the grand Odject of the whole sacrificial code of Moses; his 
passion and death were the fulfilment of its great object and design. 
Separate this sacrificial death of Christ from the law, and the law 
has no meaning; for it is impossible that the blood of bulls and goats 
should take away sins: wherefore the Messiah is represented as say- 
ing, Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; burnt-offéring and 
sin-offering thou hast not required; then said I, Lo, I come to do thy 
will; a body hast thou prepared me, Psal. xl. 6, 7. Heb. x. 4—10. 
which proves, that God never designed that the sacrifices of the law 
should be considered the atonement for sin; but a type or repre- 
sentative of that atonement; and that the atonenient was the sacri- 
fice offered by Christ. Thus he was the end of the law, in respect to 
its sacrifices. And as sacrifices were offered merely to procure par- 
don of sin, righteousness, or justification ; Christ is the end of the law 
for this justification to every one that believeth on him, as dying for 
their offences, and rising again for their justification, having made 


b te 


238 ROMANS.—CHAP. X. 


5 For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the 
law, * That the man which doeth those things shall live’ 
by them. ge 
6 But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this 
wise, > Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into hea- 
ven ? (that is, to bring Christ down from above :) 
_ 7 Or, who shall descend into the deep ? (that is, to bring 
up Christ again from the dead.) . 


aLev. 18.5, Neh. 9, 29. Ezek. 20.11.13, 21. Gal. 3.12.—b Deut. 30. 12, 13. 


peace through the blood of his cross. Therefore, every Jew who 
rejected Christ, rejected salvation, and that very salvation which 
the law witnessed and required; and which could not be had but 
through Christ alone. 

Verse 5. For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law) 
The place to which the apostle refers, .seems to be Levit. xviii. 5." 
Ye shall therefore keep my statutes and myjudgments ; which if a man 
do, he shall live in them. These words seem to be spoken in answer 
to an objection which might be made by a Jew,—** Did not Moses 
give usa law, the observance of which would secure our salvation ?”’ 
Such a law Moses undoubtedly gave, and that law promises life 
to those who perform its precepts: but, who can plead for life on this 
ground, who rejects that Christ whois the end of thelaw? No man 
ever did, nor ever can fulfil that law, so as to merit salvation by 
the performance of it ; for, as all have sinned and come short of the 
glory of God; they are all under the curse of the law, which says, 
Cursed is every one who continueth not in all the things that are written 
in the book of thelazw to do them, Deut. xxvii. 26. Gal. iii. 10. therefore 
by the deeds of this law none can be justified; because all are in a 
state of condemnation for transgressions already committed against 
it. If therefore there was not such a provision as is made by the 
death of Christ, no soul could be saved. 

Verse 6. But the righteousness which is of faith] As it is most evi- 
dent, that there can be no justification by works, as all are sinful, 
and all in a guilty state; if God will grant salvation at all, it must 
be by faith: but faith must have an object and a reason, for its exer- 
cise—the object is Jesus Christ—the reason is the infinite merit of 
his passion and death. , 

Who shall ascend into heaven, &c.] As Christ is the end of the 
law for justification, to every one that believes; no observance of 
the law can procure this Christ. Who, by the performance of the 
law can bring Christ down from heaven? or when brought down, 
and crucified, and buried, as a sacrifice for sin, who can bring him 
up again from the dead? And both his death and resurrection are 
essentially necessary for the salvation of a lost world. Or, the sense 
of the apostle may be this: they who will not believe in Christ cru- 
Gified, must in effect be seeking another Messiah to come down from 


. ROMANS.—CHAP. xX. ~— 939 


9 But what saith it? * The word is nigh thee, even in thy 
mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which 
we preach : 

9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord 
Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath 
raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 

10. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness ; 
and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 


8 Deut. 30. 14.—» Matt. 10. 32. Luke 12.8. Acts 8.37. 


heaven with a different revelation; or they who will not credit the 
doctrine that we preach concerning his resurrection, seem in effect 
to say, Christ yet remains to be raised from the dead, and reign over 
the Jews as a mighty secular sovereign; subjecting the Gentile 
world to the sway of his righteous sceptre. 

Verse 8. Bul what saith it? The word is nigh thee] There is 
no occasion to seek high or low for the saving power ; the word of 
reconciliation is nigh. The way of salvation is now both plain and 
easy. The law is magnified and made honourable by the death of 
Christ; and the doctrine of faith in his death and resurrection is 
fally proclaimed, and amply proved to be effectual to the purpose 
for which it was revealed. By the preaching of the Gospel, the 
doctrine of salvation is nigh thee, and the saving influence is at 
hand; it is in thy mouth, easy-to be understood, easy to be profess- 
ed; and in thy heart, if thou art upright before God, sincerely de- 
siring to be saved on his own terms, not striving to establish thy own 
method of justification by the law, which must for ever be ineffectual, 
but submitting to the method of justification which God has devised. 

Verse 9. That if thou shalt confess, &c.} Acknowledge the Lord 
Jesus Christ as the only Saviour. Believe in thy heart that he who 
Gied for thy offences, has been raised for thy justification, and depend 
solely on him for that justification, and thou shall be saved. 

Verse 10. For with the heart man believeth, &c.] And be sincere 
in this ; for with the heart, duly affected with a sense of guilt, and of 
the sufficiency of the sacrifice which Christ has offered ; man believeth 
unto righteousness, believeth to receive justification ; for this is the 
proper meaning of the term here, and in many other parts of this 
epistle ; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. He 
who believes aright in Christ Jesus, will receive such a full convic- 
tion of the truth, and such an evidence of his redemption, that his 
mouth will boldly confess his obligation to his Redeemer, and the 
blessed persuasion he has of the remission of all his sins, through the 
blood of the cross. One grand object of the apostle is to show the 
simplicity of the Gospel scheme of salvation; aud at the same time, 
its great efficacy. It is simple,and very unlike the law, which was 
full of rites, ordinances, ceremonies, &c. each of which required to 
be perfectly fulfilled: and yet, after all, even thcse who had the 


240 - ROMANS.—CHAP. X. 


4 
11 For the Scripture saith, ? Whosoever: believeth on 
him shall not be ashamed. rer ue: 

12 For "there is no difference between the Jew and the 
Greek : for © the same Lord over all ‘is rich unto all tha 
call upon him. 7 

13 © For whosoever shall call ‘ upon the name of the 
Lord shall be saved. 


a Isai. 28. 16. & 49. 23. Jer. 17. 7. Ch. 9. 33.—b Ch. 3.22. Acts15. 9. Gal. 
3. 28.—c Acts 10. 36. Ch. 3.29. 1 Tim. 2. 5.—4 Eph. 1. 7. & 2.4, 7.—e Joel 2. 32. 
Acts 2. 21.—f Acts 9. 14. “ , ; 


utmost zeal for God, and, a: conscientiously as possible, observed all 
the precepts of the law, had not attained to justification, nor peace 
of conscience. Whereas both Jews and Gentiles who had believed 
on the Lord Jesus, according to the simple declarations of the Gos- 
pel, were freely justified from all things from which they could not 
be justified by the law of Moses: and they had the witness in them- 
selves, that they were passed from death to life. 

Verse 11. For the scripture saith] And howsoever the Jews may 
despise this Gospel, because it comes not unto them with pomp and 
ceremony : it puts those who receive it into possession of every hea-, 
venly blessing: and this is according to the positive declarations of 
the prophets; for it is written, Isaiah xxviil. 16. xlix. 23, Whosoever 
believeth on him shall not be ashamed.—He shall neither be disap- 
pointed of his hope, nor ashamed of his confidence; because he has 
that faith which is the evidence of things not seen, the subsistence of 
things hoped for, Heb. xi. 1. See note on chap. i. 16. 

Verse 12. For there is no difference between the Jew and the 
Greek] All are equally welcome to this salvation. Here the Jew 
has no exclusive privilege : and from this, the Greek is not rejected. 
One simple way of being saved, is proposed to all, viz. faith in the 
Lord Jesus Christ, because he is the same Lord who has made all 
and governs all ; and is rich in mercy to all that call upon him. 

Verse 13. For whosoever shall call, &c.] Nor shall any one who 
hears this doctrive of salvation and credits it as he is commanded, be 
permitted to pray or supplicate the throne of grace in vain : for the 
prophet Joel hath declared, chap. ii. 32. whosoever shall call upon, 
invoke, the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Saviour of sinners, 
shall be saved: shall have his guilt pardoned, his heart purified : and 
if he abide in the faith, rooted and grounded in him, showing forth 
the virtues of him who has called bim out of darkness into his mar- 
vellous light; he shall be saved with all the weet an eternal 
life. 

“ Believing in Christ, or God, ver. 11. and ealling upon God, ver: 
12, 1S, 14. are in effect the same thing : as calling upon God, neces- 
sarily connects and supposes faith in him; and he who duly believes 
in Christ, has such a sense of his dependance upon divine gyace. 


“ , “ROMANS.CHAP-X. 241 


14 How then shall they call on him, in whom they have 
not believed? and how shall they believe in him, of whom 
they have not heard ? and how shall they hear * without a 

preacher ? : 


2 Tit. 1.3. 


that he looks unto God, and trusts in his power and goodness alone 
for happiness: which is the true religion of the Gospel.’? Dr. 
Taylor. 

tt is evident that St. Paul understood the text of Joel as relating to 
our blessed Lord; and therefore his word Kupic¢ must answer to the 
prophet’s word myn Yehovah ; which is no mean proof of the God- 
head of Jesus Christ. If the text be translated, Whosoever shall in- 
voke in the name of the Lord, which translation mp Bw xp yikra 
ba-shem Yehovah, will certainly bear; yet still the term Jehovah, 
the incommunicable name, is given to Christ; because invoking in 
the name, signifies soliciting one in the name, or on the account of 
another. He who is invoked is God ; He, in- whose name he is in- 
yoked, is Jesus Curist, who is here called Yehovah. He who 
asks mercy from Gop, in the name and for the sake of Jesus 
Cuaeist, shall get bis soul saved. 

Verse 14. How then shall they call on him] As the apostle had 
laid so much stress on believing in order to salvation ; and as this 
doctrine, without further explanation, might be misunderstvod ; it 
was necessary to show how this faith was produced ; and, therefore, 
he lays the whole doctrine down in a beautifully graduated order : 

1. There can be no salvation without the Gospel; a dispensation 
of mercy and grace from God alone, here called, ver. 15. The 
Gospel of peace; glad tidings of good things. 

Ps: ase must be preached, proclaimed in the world for the obedience 
of faith. 

3. None can effectually preach this, unless he have a divine mis- 
sion; for how shall they preach unless they be sENT, ver. 15. The 
matter must come from God ; and the person who proclaims it, must 
have both authority and unction from on high. ’ 

4, This divinely commissioned person must be heard: it is the 
duty of all to whom this message of salvation is sent, to hear it with 
the deepest reverence and attention. 

5. What is heard must be credited: for they who do not believe 
the Gospel, as the record which God has given of his Son, cannot 
be saved, verse 14. 

6. Those who believe must invoke God, by Christ, which they cannot 
do, unless they believe in him ; and in this way alone, they are to ex- 
pect salvation. Professing to believe in Christ, without earnest impor- 
tunate prayer for salvation, can save no man. Al! these things the apos- 
tle lays down as essentially necessary : and they all follow from this 
grand proposition, Whosoever shall call upon the nameof the Lord shal! 

21 


é 


242 ~ ROMANS. —CHAP. x. 


15 And how shall they preach, excel they be sent ? as 
it is written, * How beautiful are the feet of them that 
preach the Gospel of peace, and bring glad tidingsape good 
things ! 

16 But > they have not all obeyed the Gos el. For, 
Esaias saith, * Lord, who hath believed 4 our © bi 2 


a Isai. 52.7. Neh. 1. 15.—b Ch. 3. 3. Hebr. 4.2.—c Isai, 53. 1. John 12. 38,— 
d Gr. the hearing of us.—e Or, preaching. — 


be saved. But, says the apostle, How shall they caLx upon him in whom 
they have not believed 2 And how shall they BELIEVE in him of whom 
they have not heard? And how shall they HEAR without a preacher 2 
And how shall they PREACH except they be sent? And with what 
message, which can bring salvation, cau they be sent, but with the 
GOSPEL OF PEACE, the GLAD TIDINGS OF GOOD THINGS. When, 
therefore, there is Ist, A proper message ; 2dly, A proper messenger , 
3dly, The message ‘preached, proclaimed, or properly delivered 
by him; 4thly, The proclamation properly heard and attentively 
considered by the people; 5thly, The message which they have 
heard, conscientiously believed; 6thly, The name of the Lord 
Jesus, by whom alone this salvation is provided, most fervently in- 
voked : then, 7thly, Salvation or redemption from sin and misery, 
and the enjoyment of peace and happiness will be the result of such 
calling, believing, hearing, preaching, sending, and message sent :— 
and thus, the doctrine of salvation by grace through faith is guarded 
from abuse. _ 

Verse 15. How beautiful are the feet of them that preach] Dr. 
Taylor remarks on this quctation, which is taken from Isai. lii. 7. 
that “feet are variously used in Scripture; and sometimes have 
respect to things internal and spiritual. For, as the life of man and 
the practice of piety, is compared to walking, Psa. i. 1. so his feet 
may signify the principles on which he acts, and the dispositions of 
his mind. Eccles. v. 1. Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of 
God. Agreeably to this, the feet of the messengers in Isaiah, and of 
the apostles in this verse, may signify the validity of their mission, 
the authority upon which they acted ; and any character or qualifi- 
cations with which they were invested.” 

Verse 16. But they have not all obeyed the Gospel] This seems to be 
the objection of a Jew: as if he had said, A divme mission would 
be attended with success; whereas there ‘are. numbers who pay no 
attention to the glad tidings you preach. To this the apostle an- 
awers, that the spirit of God by Isaiah, chap. iii. 1. foretold it would 
be so, even in the case of the Jews themselves, when he said, Lord, 
who hath believed our report? For, although God brings the mes- 
sage of salvation to men, he does not oblige them to embrace it. It 
is ‘proposed to their understanding and conscience; but it does not 
lyecome the means of salyation unless it be effectually credited.” 


"= r 


ROMANS.—CHAP. X. 243 


17 So then, faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the 
word of God: 
18 But I say, Have they not heard ? Yes, verily, * their 
sound went into all the earth, © and their words unto the 


ends of the world. 
19 But , Did not Israel know ? First, Moses saith, 
°T will oke you to jealousy by them that are no peo- 


ple, and by a 4 foolish nation I will anger you. 


a Psa. 19.4. Matt. 24. 14. & 28.19. Mark 16. 15. Col. 1. 6, 23.— See I Kings 
18.10. Matt. 4.8.—e Deut. 32.31. Ch. 11. 11.—4 Tit. 3. 3. 


Verse 17. So then, faith cometh by hearing] Preaching the 
Gospel is the ordinary means of salvation ; faith in Christ is the re- 
sult of hearing the word, the doctrine of God preached. Preach- 
ing, God sends; if heard attentively, faith will be produced : and if 
they believe the report, the arm of the Lord will be revealed in 
their salvation. " 

Verse 18. But I say, Have they not heard?] But to return to 
the objection ; you say they have not all believed : I ask, have they 
notall heard? Have not the means of salvation been placed with- 
in the reach of every Jew in Palestine ; and within the reach of all 
those who sojourn in the different Gentile countries where we have 
preached the Gospel ; as well to the Jews as to the Gentiles them- 
selves? Yes; for we may say of the preaching of the Gospel, what 
the Psalmist has said (Psalm xix. 2,3.) of the heavenly bodies; Their 
sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the 
world. As the celestial luminaries have given testimony of the eter- 
nal power and Godhead of the Deity to the habitable world ; the 
Gospel of Christ has borne testimony to his eternal goodness and 
mercy, to all the land of Palestine ; and to the whole Roman em- 
pire. There is not a part of the Promised Land in which these 
glad tidings have not been preached ; and there is scarcely a place 
in the Roman empire in which the doctrine of Christ crucified has 
not been heard : if, therefore, the Jews and Gentiles have not be- 
lieved, the fault is entirely their own ; as God has amply furnished 
them with the means of faith and salvation. 

In Psalm xix. 4. the Psalmist has yp kavam, their line, which the 
Septuagint, and the apostle, who quotes from them, renders, 98c7 702 
sound ; and hence, some have thought that the word in the Psalm 
was originally S>yp kolam, their voice. But that yp kav, is used for 
word or speech, is sufficiently evident from Isaiah xxviii. 10. line upon 
line, precept upon precept, &c. where yp is analogous to word, or di- 
rection. It is very remarkable that these words of David, quoted 
by St. Paul, are mentioned in Sohar Genes. fol. 9. where it is said, 
Poo pHX Nn way Abdey mashicha einun millin—“ These words 
are the servants of the Messiah, and measure out both the things 
above and the things beneath.” To this notion of them the apostle 


‘~ @2Ce toe oad 7 ony < 


244 ROMANS.—CHAP. X. 


20 But Esaias is very bold, and saith; #1 was found of 
them that sought me not; I was made manifest unto them 
that asked not after me. oe r 

21 But to Israel he saith, *sAll day long I have stretched 
forth my hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying people. 


alsai.65.1. Ch. 9.30,— Isai. 65. 2. 


may refer in his use of them in this place: and to a Jew the applica- 
tion would be legitimate. 

Verse 19. But I say, did not Israel know?) You object to this 
preaching among the Gentiles;—but is not this according to the 
positive declaration of God? He, foreseeing your unbelief and re- 
bellion, said by Moses, Deut. xxxii. 21. I will provoke you to jealousy 
by them that are no people, and by a foolish nation I will anger you. 
As you have provoked me to jealousy, with worshipping those that 
are no gods; I will provoke you to jealousy by those which are no 
people. This most evidently refers to the calling or inviting of the 
Gentiles to partake of the benefits of the Gospel : and plainly pre- 
dicts the envy and rage which would be excited in the Jews, in con- 
sequence of those offers of mercy made to the Gentiles. 

Verse 20. But Esaias, (the Greek orthography for Isaiah,) is 
very bold| Speaks out in the fullest manner and plainest language, 
chap. Ixv. 1. notwithstanding the danger to which such a declara- 
tion exposed him, among a crooked, and perverse, and dangerous 
people : I was found of them that sought me not; 1 put my salvation 
in the way of those (the Gentiles) who were not seeking for it, 
and knew nothing of it: thus, the Gentiles which followed not after 
righteousness, have attained to the law of righteousness, chap. ix. 30. 
and they have found that redemption which the Jews have rejected. 

Verse 21. But to Israel he saith] In the very next verse, (Isa. 
chap. lxv. 2.) All day long I have stretched forth my hands, manitest- 
ing the utmost readiness and willingness to gather them altogether 
under my protecting care; hut I stretched forth my hands in vain, 
for they are a disobedient and gainsaying people. They not only dis- 
obey my command, but they gainsay and contradict my prophets. 
Thus the apostle proves, in answer to the objections made yer. 16. 
that the infidelity of the Jews was the effect of their own obstinacy. 
And the opposition which they are now making to the Gospel, was 
foretold and deplored 700 years before: and that their opposition, 
far from being a proof of the insufficiency of the Gospel, proved that - 
this was the grand means which God had provided for their salva- 
tion; and having rejected this, they could expect no other. And 
this gives fhe apostle opportunity to speak largely concerning their 
rejection in the following chapter. 


1. In the preceding chapter are several quotations from the Law, 
the Prophets, and the Psalms; and as the apostle seems to take 
them with considerable latitude of meaning, it has been thought that 


ROMANS. CHAP. X. 245 


he only uses their words, as being well calculated to express his 
sense: without paying any attention to their original import. This 
principle is too lax,,to be introduced in such solemn circumstances. 
Dr. Taylor has made some judicious and useful distinctions here. 
After observing that, if we allow this principle, no argument can be 
built on any of the apostle’s quotations; and that it must have been 
an indifferent thing with him, whether he did or did not understand 
the Scripture; as, on this supposition, they would serve him as well 
without, as with the true meaning: he adds, the apostle was a strict 
and close quoter of the Scriptures: but he did not always quote 
them in the same manner, or for the same purpose. 

Sometimes his intention goes no farther than using the same strong 
expressions, as being equally applicable to the point in hand. So, 
verse 6, 7, and 8. of this chapter he uses the words of Moses, not to 
prove any thing; nor, as if he thought Moses spok~ of the same sub- 
ject; but only as intimating, that the strong and lively expressions 
which Moses used concerning the doctrine he taught, were equally 
applicable to the faith of the Gospel. So in the same manner, verse 
18. he quotes Psal. xix. 4. though it is likely, (see the note in that 
place,) that those expressions were used by the ancient Jews in ap- 
plication to the Messiah, as the apostle applies them. 

2. Sometimes the design of the quotation is only to show that the 
eases are parallel : or, that what happened in his times corresponded 
with what happened in former days. So chap, ii. 24.—viii. 36.—ix. 
27, 28, 29.—xi. 2,3, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10.—xv. 21. 

3. Sometimes the quotation is only intended to explain a doctrinal 
point, as chap. i. 17.—iv. 6, 7, 8—18—21.— ix. 20, 21.—x. 15.— xv. 3. 

4, Sometimes the quotation is designed to preve a doctrinal point. 
Chap. iii. 4, 10—19.—iv. 3—17.—v. 12, 13, 14.—ix. 7, 9, 12, 13, 
15, 17.—x. 5, 11, 13.—xii. 19, 20.—xiii. 9—-xiv. 11. - 

5. Sometimes it is the intention of the quotation to prove that some- 
thing was predicted, or properly foretold in the prophetic writings 
as chap. ix. 25, 26, 33.—x. 16, 19, 20, 21.—xi. 26, 27.—xy. 9—13. 
"These things duly considered, it will appear, that theapostle has 
every where shown a just regard to the true sense of the scriptures 

he quotes, in the view in which he quotes them. 

These rules may help to vindicate the quotations in all the apos- 
tolic writings. And it is evident that we cannot form a true judg- 
ment upon any quotation, unless we take in the intention of the 
writer, or the view in which he quotes. 

II. The apostle here makes a just and proper distinction between 
the righteousness or justification that is of the law, and that which is 
by faith in Christ. And in his view of the former, shows it to be 
absolutely impossible; for if no man is to live thereby, to have spi- 
ritual and eternal life, but he who does these things; then, salvation 
on that ground must be impossible—for, 1. The law makes no pro- 
vision for the pardon of sin.—2. It affords no helps for the perform- 
ance of duty.—3. It makes no allowances for imperfections in dutyy 
or for imperfections in our nature.—4. Its commandments, necessa- 
rily, suppose a righteous soul, and a vigorous body ; and it does not 

21% 


~ 


nf ' ee ee he Riitaiss * eS ee 
246 ROMANS.—CHAP: XI. 


lower its claims to the fallen state of man.—5. It requires perfect 
obedience, not only in all things, but in all places and cireumstan- 
ces, The man who comes up to this standard, has ever been init, and 
has never swerved from it, shall, by the law, live for ever. But no 
man since the fall, ever did so, or ever candoso. Therefore, sal- 
vation by the works of the law, is absolutely impossible. But, 1. 
The righteousness, or justification, which is by faith, receives Christ 
as an atoning sacrifice, by which all past sin is pardoned. 2. Re- 
ceives continual supplies of grace from Christ by the eternal Spirit, 
through which the man is enabled to love God with all his heart, 
soul, mind, and strength, and his neighbour as himself. 3. This 
grace is afforded in sufficient degrees, suited to all places, times, and 
circumstances, so that no trial can happen too great to be borne, as 
the grace of Christ is ever at hand to support and to save to the ut- 
termost, The law’is the letter that killeth; the Gospel is the spirit 
that giveth life. Reader, let thy whole soul say, with the apostle, 
Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift. 


———__EEEEee SS 


CHAPTER XI. 


‘ 


cate His gifts to them, 28, 29. The Gospel shall be again 
as it has now been sent to the Gentiles, 30—32. This proced 
cording to the immensity of the wisdom, knowledge, and unsea 
judgments of God, who is the Creator, Preserver, and Governo 
things, and to whom all adoration is due, 33—36. % 


SAY then, * Hath God cast away his people ? Gc 
bid, For, °! also am an Israelite, of Me seed of 
Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. ; 


a1 Sam. 12. 22. Jer. 31. 37.—b 2 Cor. 11.22. Phil. 3. 5. 


NOTES ON CHAPTER Xt. 
This chapter is of the prophetic kind. It was by the Spirit of 
prophecy, that the apostle foresaw the rejection of the Jews, which 


‘ 


ROMANS.—CHAP. XI. 247 


2 God hath not cast away his people which *he foreknew. 
Wot ye not what the scripture saith ° of Elias? how he 
maketh intercession to God against Israel, saying, 


a Ch. 8. 29.—b Gr. in Elias? 


he supposes in the two preceding chapters; for when he wrote the 
epistle, they were not in fact rejected; seeing their polity and 
church were then standing. But the event has proved that he was 
a true prophet ; for we know that in about ten or eleven years after 
the writing of this letter, the temple was destroyed, the Jewish pox 
lity overthrown, and the Jews expelled out of the Promised Land, 
which they have never been able to recover to the present day. 

This—1i. Confirms the arguments which the apostle had advan- 
ced to establish the calling of the Gentiles. For the Jews are, in 
fact, rejected; consequently, our calling is, in fact, not invalidated 
by any thing they suggested, relative to the perpetuity of the Mo- 
saic dispensation. But that dispensation being wholly subverted, 
our title to the privileges of God’s church and people stands cis2r 
and strong: the Jewish constitution only, could furnish objections 
against our claim, and the event has silenced every objection from 
that quarter. 

2. The actual rejection of the Jews proves Paul to be a true 
apostle of Jesus Christ, and that he spoke by the Spirit of God; 
otherwise, he could not have argued so fully upon a case which was 
yet to come, and of which there was no appearance in the state of 
things when he wrote this epistle. And this very circumstance 
should induce us to pay great attention to this chapter, in which he 
discourses concerning the extent, and duration of the rejection of his 
countrymen, to prevent their being insulted and despised by the 
Gentile Christians. (1.) As to the extent of this rejection, it is not 
absolutely universal ; some of the Jews have embraced the Gospel, 
and are incorporated into the Christian church, with the believing 
Gentiles. Upon the case of these believing Jews, he comments, ver. 
1—7. (2.) As to the duration of it, it is not final and perpetual, for 
all Israel, oe nation of the Jews, which is now blinded, shall one 
day be saved, or brought again into the kingdom or covenant of Ged. 
Upon the state of these blinded Jews, he comments, ver. 7. to the 
end of the chapter. His design in discoursing upon this subject, 
was not only to make the thing itself known; but partly to engage 
the attention of the unbelieving Jew ; to conciliate his favour, and 
if possible to induce him to come into the Gospel scheme, and partly 
to dispose the Gentile Christians not to treat the Jews with con- 
tempt; (considering that they derived all their present blessings 
from the patriarchs, the ancestors of the Jewish nation, and were 
ingrafted into the good olive-tree, whence the Jews had been bro- 
ken,) and to admofish them to take warning by the fall of the Jews, 
to make a good improvement of their religious privileges, lests 


248 ROMANS.—CHAP. XI. 


3 * Lord, they have killed thy prophets, and digged down 
thine altars ; and | am left-alone, and they seek my life. 
4 But what saith the answer of God unto him? »I have 


21 Kings 19. 10, 14.—b1 Kings 19. 18. 


through unbelief, any of them should relapse into heathenism, or 
perish finally at the last day. 

The thread of his discourse leads him into a general survey and 
comparison of the several dispensations of God toward the Gentiles 
and Jews ; and he concludes this survey with adoration of the depths 
of the divine knowledge and wisdom exercised in the various consti- 
tutions erected in the world, ver. 30—36. See Taylor’s notes, p. 340. 


Verse 1. I say then, Hath God cast away his people?] Has he 
utterly and finally rejected them? for this is necessarily the apos- 
tle’s meaning, and is the import of the Greek word araca¢o, which 
signifies to thrusi or drive away ; from amo, from, and whew, to thrust 

_ er drive ;=bas he thrust them off, and driven them eternally from 
him? God forbid, byno means. This rejection is neither universal, 
por final. For, J also am an Israelite, 1 am a regular descendant 
from Abraham, through Israel or Jacob, and by his son Benjamin. 
And I stand in the church of God; and in the peculiar covenant; 
for the rejection is only of the obstinate and disobedient; for those 
who believe on Christ, as I have done, are continucdin the church. 

Verse 2. God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew| God 
has not finally and irrecoverably rejected a people, whom he has 
loved (er approved,) so long, ov mpotyva, for this is evidently the 
meaning of the word in this place, as we have already seen, chap. 
viii. 29) and is a very general meaning of the original verb yn) yada, 
in Hebrew, and yisvac2w, in Greek: as I have had often occasion to 
notice in different parts of this work, and what none will deny, who 
consults the original. See Schleusner, Parkhurst, &c. 

Wet ye not what the Scripture saith| Ovz adare, do ye not know 
what {the Seripture saith. The reference is to 1 Kings xix. 10, 14. 
And the apostle’s answer to the objecting Jew, is to the following 
effect: God hath not universally thrust away his people, for whom, 
in the promise to Abraham, he intended, and to whom decreed to 

ant his special favour and blessing ; but the case is now, much as 
it was in the days of Elijah: that prophet, in his ad es to God, 
made his complaint against Israel thus : 

Verse 3. Lord, they have killed thy prophets] ‘They will not per- 
mit any person to speak unto them in thy name; and they murder 
those who are faithful to the commission which they have received 
from thee. 

Digged down thine altars} They are profligate and profane be- 

ond example, and retain not the slightest form of religion. 

Iam left alone] "There is no prophet besides myself left, and they 
seek to destroy me. 

Verse 4. But- whut saith the answer of God} The answer which 


ROMANS.—CHAP. XI. 249 


reserved to myself seven thousand men, who have not 
bowed the knee to the image of Baal. 

5 *Even so then, at this present time also, there is a 
remnant according to the election of grace. 

6 And if by grace, then is it no more’ of works : other- 
wise grace is no more grace. But if zt be of works, then 
is it no more grace : otherwise work is no more work. 


aCh. 9. 27.—bCh. 4.4,5. Gal. 5.4. See Dout. 9. 4, 5. 


God made, assured him that there were seven thousand, that is 
several or many thousands, for so we must understand the word 
seven, a certain for an uncertain number. These had continued 
faithful to God; but because of Jezebel’s persecution, they were 
obliged to conceal their attachment to the true religion; and God, 
in his providence, preserved them from her sanguinary rage 

Who have not bowed the knee] Baal was the god of Jezebel ; or, - 
in other words, his worship was then the worship of the state: but 
there were several thousands of pious Israelites who had not acknow- 
ledged this idol ; and did not partake in the idolatrous worship. 

Verse 5. Even so then, at this present time] As in the present day 
the irreligion of the Jews is very great ; yet there isa remnant, a 
_ Considerable number, who have accepted of the grace of the Gospel. 

According to the election of grace] And these are saved just as God 
has saved all believers from the beginning; they are chosen by his 
grace ; not on account of any worth or excellence in themselves, but 
through his goodness are they chosen to have a place in his church, 
and continue to be his people, entitled to all the privileges of the 
new covenant. The election of grace simply signifies God’s gracious 
design in sending the Christian system into the world, and saving un- 
der it all those who believe in Christ Jesus, and none else. Thus, 
the believers in Christ are chosen to inherit the blessings of the Gos- 
pel ; while those who seek justification by the works of the law are 
rejected. 

Verse 6. And if by grace] And let this very remnant of pious 
Jews, who have believed in Christ Jesus, know that they are brought 
in precisely in the same way as God has brought in the Gentiles ; 
the one having no more worthiness to plead than the other; both be- 
ing brought in, and continued in by God’s free grace, and not by any 
observance of the Mosaic law. : 

And this is done according to the election of grace, or the rule of 
choosing any persons to be the people of God upon the footing of grace; 
which takes in all that believe in his Son Jesus Christ : some of the 
Jewish people did so believe ; therefore those believing Jews are a 
remnant according to the election of grace. They are saved in that 
way, in which alone God will save mankind. p 

And if by grace—Then let these very persons remember that their 
election and interest in the covenant of God has no connexion with 


250 ROMANS.—CHAP. XI. 
4 


7 What then ? * Israel hath not obtained that which he 
seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the 
rest were » blinded. rg ‘ 

8 (According as it is written, © God hath given them the 
spirit of “slumber, ® eyes that they should not see, and 
ears that they should not hear ;) unto this day. 


a Ch. 9. 31. & 10. 3.—b Or, hardened. 2 Cor, 3. 14.—e Isa. 29. 10.—4 Or, remorse.— 
eI a= 29.4. Isa. 6.9. Jer. 5.21, Ezek. 12.2. Matt, 13.14. John i2. 40. Acts 
}. 20, 27. 


their old Jewish works; for were it of works, grace would lose its 
proper nature, and cease to be what it is, a free, undeserved gift 

But if it be of works] On the other hand, could it be made a) 
that they are invested in these privileges of the kingdom of Christ, 
enly by the observance of the law of Moses, then grace would be 
quite set aside ; andif it were not work, or the merit of obedience, 
would lose its proper nature, which excludes favour and free gift. 
But it is not, and cannot be of works ; for those very Jews who now 
believe, and are happy in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, are so 
according to the election of grace, which does not mean a particular 
aot of God’s sovereignty that has singled out some of the Jews who 
deserved to have been cast off, aswell as the rest ; butitis that gen- 
eral scheme of grace, according to which God purposed to take into 
his church and kingdom, any, among either Jews or Gentiles, who 
should believe on Christ. Aud the remnant here mentioned were 
not selected from their countrymen, by such a sovereign act of God’s 
grace as might have taken in the whole if it had so pleased; but they 
were admitted into, and received the privileges of the Messiah’s 
kingdom ; because they believed on the Lord Jesus, and received 
him us their only Saviour, and thus came into that scheme of election 
which God had appointed. And we may observe further, that out 
of this election, they, as well as the others, would have been exclu- 
ded, had they, like the rest, remained in unbelief; and into this 
election of graceall the Jews to a man, notwithstanding they were all 
sinners, would have been taken, had they believed in Christ Jesus. 
his is the true notion of the election of grace. See Taylor. — 

Verse 7. What then] What is the realstate ofthe case us? 
fsrael, the body of the Jewieh people, have not obtained that which 
they so earnestly desire, i. e. to be continued, as they have been hi- 
therto, the peculiar people of God; but the electionfhath obtained it ; 
as many of them as have believed in Jesus Christ, and accepted sal- 
vation through him; this is the grand scheme of the election by grace ; 
God chooses to make those his peculiar people who believe in his Son, 
and none other shall enjoy the blessings of his kingdom. Those who 
‘would not receive him are blinded ; they have shut their eyes against 
the light, and Are in the very circumstances of those mentioned by 
the prophet Isaiah, chap. xxix. 10. 

Verse 8. God Agth given them the spirit of slumber] As they had 


ROMANS.—CHAP, XI. 251 


9 And David saith, *Let their table be made a snare, 
and a trap, and a stumbling-block, and a recompenee unto 
them : 

10 > Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see, 
and bow down their back alway. 

11 I say, then, Have they stumbled that they should fall ? 
God forbid: but rather, © through their fall, salvation zs 
come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy. 


a Psa. 69. 22. b—Psa. 69, 23.—c Acts 13. 46. & 13. 6. & 22.18, 31. & 28. 24,28. Ch. 10. 19. 


wilfully closed their eyes against the light ; so God has, in judgment, 
given them up to the spirit of slumber. The very word and revela- 
tion of God, which should have awakened their consciences, and 
opened their eyes and ears, have had avery different effect ; and be» 
cause they did not receive the truth in the love thereof, that which, 
would otherwise have been the savour of life unto life, has become 
the savour of death unto death; and this continues to the present day. 

Verse 9. And David saith, Let their table, &c.] And from their 
present disposition, it is reasonable to conclude, that the same evils 
will fall upon them as fell upon the disobedient in former times, as 
predicted by David, Psa. Ixix. 22, 23. that their very blessings should 
become curses to them ; and their temporal mercies be their only re- 
compense ; and yet, even these earthly blessings, by not being enjoy- 
edin the Lord, should be a stumblingblock, over which they should 
fall ; and instead of being a blessing, should be the means of their 
punishment. They would have a worldly Messiah, and therefore 
they rejected him whose kingdom was not of this world. 

Verse 10. Let their eyes be darkened] Allthese words are declara- 
tive, and not imprecatory. God declares what will be the case of 
such obstinate unbelievers : their table, their common providential 
blessings, will become a snare, a trap, a stumblingblock, and the 
means of their punishment. Their eyes will be more and more dark- 
ened, as they persist in their unbelief, and their back shall be bowed 
down always ; far from becoming a great and powerful nation, they 
shall continue ever in a state of abject slavery and oppression, till they 
acknowledge Jesus as the promised Messiah ; and submit to receive 
redemption in his blood. 

Verse 11. Have they stumbled that they should fall} Have the J ews, 
now for their disobedience and unbelief rejected, so sinned against 
God as to be for ever put out of the reach of his mercy? By np 
means. Are they, as a nation, utterly irrecoverable’? This is the 
sense of the place, and here the prophecy of the restoration of the 
Jewish nation commences. ; 

But rather, through their fall, salvation is come] The church of 
God cannot fail : if the Jews have broken the everlasting covenant, 
Isai. xxiv. 5. the Gentiles shall be taken into it; and this very cir- 
cumstanve shall be ultimately the means ofexciting them to seék and 


ie = 


552 ROMANS.—CHAP. XI. 


12 Now, if the fall of them be the riches of the world, 
and the * diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles ; 
how much more their fulness ? 


EEE) 
a Or, decay, or loss. 


elaim a share in the blessings of the new covenant ; and this is what 
the apostle terms provoking them to jealousy, i. e. exciting them to 
emulation, for so the word should be understood. * We should observe 
here, that the fall of the Jews was not, in itself, the cause or reason 
of the calling of the Gentiles : for whether the Jews had stood or 
fallen, whether they had embraced or rejected the Gospel ;.it was 
the original purpose of God to take the Gentiles into the church; 
for this was absolutely implied in the covenant made with Abraham : 
and it was in virtue of that covenant that the Gentiles were now 
called ; and not because of the unbeliefof the Jews. And hence we 
see that their fall was not the necessary means of the salvation of the 
Gentiles, for certainly the unbelief of the Jews could never produce 
faith in the Gentiles. The simple state of the case is, the Jews, in 
the most obstinate and unpriacipled manner, rejected Jesus Christ 
and the salvation offered them in his name: then the apostles turned 
to the Gentiles, and they heard and believed. The Jews th lves 
perceived that the Gentiles were to be put in pessession of similar 
privileges to those which they, as the peculiar people of God, had 
enjoyed : this they could not bear, and put forth all their strength in 
opposition and persecution. The calling of the Gentiles, which ex- 
‘sted in the original purpose of God, became in a certain way accele- 
rated by the unbelief of the Jews, through which they forfeited 
all their privileges, and fell from that state of glory and dignity in 
bho they had been long placed as the peculiar people of God. See 

aylor. : 

Verse 12. Now, if the fall of them] The English reader may ima- 
gine that because fall is used in both these verses, the original word is 
the same. But their fall, and the fall of them, is @agemramuz, the 
same word which we render offence, chap. v. 15, 17, 18. and might 
be rendered lapse. Whereas that they should fall (ver. 11.) is wa 
xecwct. Now, wire, to fall, is used in a sense so very emphatical as 
to signify being slain. So Homer, Il. viii. ver. 475. 


Hyecrt ra, 07’ av of fev emt WeuMV HTL MAX aVTas, 
Sretvet ev atyvotata, wees Tatgowaoso merovrec* 
Qs yap Verparoy est. 


And for Patroclus slain, the crowded hosts 
In narrow space, shall at the ships contend. 4 
Such the Divine decree. 


nd again, I. xi. ver. 84. 


Odea mev nos nv rat aeLero egoy Weak, c 
Todea man? apooregay Bers’ irrero, rimTwEAaec. 


ROMANS.—CHAP. XI. 253 


13 For, 1 speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as *I am the 
apostle of the Gentiles, 1 magnify mine office ; 

14 If by any means | may provoke to emulation them 
which are my flesh, and ° might save some of them. 


2 Acts 9. 15. & 13.2.& 2.21. Ch. 15.16. Gal. 1.16. & 2.2,7,8,9. Eph. 3.8. 
1 Tim. 2.7. 2 Tim. 1. 11.—> 1 Cor. 7.16. & 9.22. 1 Tim. 4.16. James 5. 20. 


While morning lasted, and the light of day 
_ Increased, so long the weapons on both sides 
Flew in thick vollies ; and the people fell. 
CowrEr. 

It is well known that to fall in battle means to be killed. Itis in 
such a sense as this, that St. Paul used the word fall, when he says, 
Have they stumbled that they should fall? he means a fall quite de- 
structive and ruinous; whereas by their fall, and the fall of them, he 
means no more than such a lapse as was recoverable ; as in the case 
of Adam’s offence. See Dr. Taylor. 

The riches of the world] If in consequence of their unbelief, the 
riches of God’s grace and goodness be poured out on the whole Gen- 
tile world; how much more shall that dispensation of grace and 
mercy enrich and aggrandize the Gentiles, which shall bring the 
whole body of the Jews to the faith of the Gospel. Here the apostle 
supposes, or rather predicts, that such a dispensation shall take place, 
and that therefore the Jews, have not so stumbled as to be finally irre- 
coverable. : 

Verse 13. This,and the following verse should be read in a paren- 
thesis. St. Paul, as the apostle of the Gentiles, wished toshow them 
the high pitch of glory and blessedness to which they had been call- 
ed, that they might have a due sense of God’s mercy in calling them 
to such a state of salvation; and, that they might be jealous over 
themselves, lest they should fall as the Jews had done before them : 
and he dwells particularly on the greatness of those privileges which 
the Gentiles had now received, that he might stir up the minds of his 
countrymen to emulation: and might be the means of saving some of 
them, as he states in the following verse. g 

I magnify mine office] ‘This isa very improper translation of tx» 
diaxoviav ou do€afw, which is, literally, I honour this my ministry. 
Dr. Taylor has justly observed, that magnify, except when applied 
to the Most High, carries withit, in our language, the idea of stretch- 
ing beyond the bounds of truth. Whereas the apostle simply means 
that he does justice to his ministry, by stating the glorious things which 
he was commissioned to preach among the Gentiles: blessings which 
the Jews by their obstinacy, had forfeited. 

Verse 14. Might save some of them.] And yet all these were 
among the reprobate, or rejected ; however, the apostle supposed that 
none of them was irrecoverably shut out from the divine favour ; 
and that some of them, by his preaching, might be disposed to re- 
ceive salvation by Christ Jesus. 


“+ 


254 ROMANS.—CHAP. xt 


15 For, if the casting away of them be the reconciling of 
the world, what shall the receiving of them be, ant life from 
the dead ? 

16 For, if the * first-fruit be holy, the loth is aa holy : 
and if the root be holy, so are the branches. 


a Lev. 23.10. Numb. 15. 18, 19, 20, 21. 


Verse 15. But life from the dead| If the rejection of the Jews 
became the occasion of our receiving the Gospel, so that we can 
even glory in our tribulations, though they themselves became chief 
instruments of our sufferings; yet so far must we feel from exulting 
over them, that we should esteem their full conversion to God as great 
and choice a favour as we would the restoration of a most intimate 
friend to life, who had been at the gates of death. 

The restoration of the Jews to a state of favour with God, to 
which the apostle refers, and which is too plainly intimated by the 
spirit of prophecy, to admit of a doubt, will bea most striking event. 
Their being preserved, as a distinct people, is certainly a strong, col- 
lateral proof, that they shall once more be brought into the church 
of God: and their conversion to Christianity will be an incontestable 
proof of the truth of Divine Revelation; and doubtless will become 
the means of converting multitudes of deists, who will see the proy he- 
cies of God which had been delivered so long before, so strikingly 
fulfilled in this great event. We need not wonder if a whole nation 
should then be born asin a day. * 

Verse 16. For, if the first-fruit be holy] As me ‘consecrating 
the first-fruits to God, was the means of drawing down his blessing 
upon the rest: so the conversion of Abraham to the true faith, and 
the several Jews who have now embraced Christianity, are pledges 
that God will, in process of time, admit the whole Jewish nation into 
His favour again, so that they shall constitute a part of the visible 
church of Christ. 

If the root be holy so are the branches.) The word holy, in this 
verse, is to be taken in that sense which it has so frequently in the 
Old and New Testaments, viz. consecrated, set apart to sacred uses. 
It must not be forgotten that the first converts to Christ were from 
among the Jews’; these formed the root of the Christian church : these 
were holy, #7101, consecrated to God, and those who among the Gen- 
tiles were converted by their means, were also @y#os, consecrated : 
but the chief reference is to the ancestors of the Jewish people, Abra- 
ham, Isaac, and Jacob; and as these were devoted to God, and re- 
ceived into his covenant ; all their posterity, the branches which pro- 
ceeded from this root, became entitled to the — privileges: and 
as the root still remains, and the branches also, the descendants from 
that root still remain; ‘they still have a certain title to the blessings 
of the covenant; though, because of their obstinate unbelief, these 
blessings are suspended, as they cannot, even on the ground of the 
old covenant enjoy these blessings but through faith : for it was when 


ROMANS.—CHAP. XI. 255 


17 And, if some *of the branches be broken off, and 
“thou, being a wild olive-tree, wert grafied in 4 among 
them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of 
the olive-tree ; 

18 © Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, 
thou bearest not the root, but the root thee. 

19 Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, 
that I might be graffed in. 

20 Well ; because of unbelief they were broken off, and 
thou standest by faith. ‘ Be not high-minded, but ¢ fear : 


b Jer. 11. 16.— Acts 2. 39. Eph. 2. 12, 13.—4 Or, for them.—e 1 Cor. 10. 12.—f Ch. 
12. 16.—2 Proy. 28. 14. Isa. 66.2. Phil. 2. 12. 


Abraham believed God, that it was accounted to him for righteous- 
ness ; and thus he became an heir of the righteousness which is by 
faith. ; 

Verse 17. And, if some of the branches, &c.] If the present na- 
tion of the Jews, because of their unbelief, are cut off from the bless- 
ings of the church of God, and the high honour and dignity of being 
his peculiar people ; and thou being a wild olive—ye Gentiles, being 
without the knowledge of the true God, and consequently bringing 
forth no fruits of righteousness ; wert graffed in among them, are now 
inserted in the original stock, having been made partakers of the faith 
of Abraham, and consequently of his blessings ; and enjoy, as the 
people did who sprang from him, the fatness of the olive-tree, the pro- 
mises made to the patriarchs, and the spiritual privileges of the Jew- 
ish church. 

Verse 18. Boast not against the branches.} While you are ready 
to acknowledge that you were included in the covenant made with 
Abraham, and are now partakers of the same blessings with him ; 
do not exult over, much less insult the branches, his present descend- 
ants, whose place you now fill up, according to the election of grace: 
for, remember ye are not the root, nor do ye bear the root, but the 
root bears you. You have not been the means of deriving any bless- 
ing on the Jewish people; but through that very people which you 
may be tempted to despise, all the blessings and excellencies which 
you enjoy, have been communicated to you, : 

Verse 19. Thou wilt say then, &c.| You may think ‘that you 
have reason to exult over them; because it isa fact that God has 
been displeased with them, and therefore has broken them off ; has 
cast them out of the church, and taken you into it in their place :-— 

Verse 20. Well ; because of unbelief, &c.] This statement is all 
true; but then, consider why is it that they were cast out? Was it 
not because of their unbelief? And you stand by faith: you were 
made partakers of these blessings by faith; be not high-minded ; let 


as | oe” 


256 ROMANS.—CHAP. XI. 


21 For, if God spared not the natural branches, take heed 
lest he also spare not thee. 

22 Behold, therefore, the goodness and severity of God : 
on them which fell, severity ; but toward thee, goodness 


this humble, not exalt you in your own estimation; for if the bless- 
ings were received by faith, consequently not by works: and if not 
by works, you have no merit; and, what you have received, is 
through the mere mercy of God. They once stood by faith ; they 
gave place to unbelief, and fell: you stand now by faith, but it is as 
possible for you to be unfaithful, as it was for them ; and, consequent- 
ly, you may fall under fhe divine displeasure, as they have done ; 
be not high-minded, but fear; watch over yourselves with godly 
jealousy. ’ 

Verse 21. For if God spared not the natural branches| If He, 
in his infinite justice and holiness, could not tolerate sin in the people 
whom he foreknew, whom he had so long loved, cherished, miracu- 
lously preserved, and blessed : take heed lest he also spare not thee. 
Be convinced that the same righteous principle in him will cause him 
to act towards you as he has acted towards them, if you sin after the 
similitude of their transgression : and to this, self-sufficiency and self- 
confidence, will soon lead you. Remember, therefore, the rock 
whence you were hewn: and the hole of the pit whence ye were 
digged. Depend incessantly on God's free-grace, that ye may abide 
in his favour. ; 

Verse 22. Behold, therefore, the goodness| The exclamation, be- 
hold the goodness of God! is frequent among the Jewish writers, 
when they wish to call the attention of men to particular displays of 
God’s mercy ; especially towards those who are singularly unworthy. 
See several instances in Schoettgen. ! ; 

And severity of God] As xpusarns, goodness, signifies the essen- 
tial quality of the divine nature, the fountain of all good to men and 
angels; so amorouta, severity, as it is here translated, signifies that 
particular exercise of his goodness and holiness which leads him to 
sever from his mystical body whatsoever would injure, corrupt, or 
destroy it. The apostle in these verses uses a metaphor taken from 
ingrafting, syxsvrpioss, whence the verb syxevrpig@, from éy, in, and 
xevrpifw, to puncture, because ingrafting was frequently done by ma- 
king a puncture in the bark of a tree, and then inserting a bud ta- 
ken fromanother. This was the practice in the Roman agriculture, 
as we learn from Virgil, Georg. ii. ver. 73— 


Nam qua se medio tradunt de cortice gemma, _ 
Et tenues rumpunt tunicas ; angustus in ipso 

Fit nodo sinus : huc aliena ex arbore germen 
Includant ; udoque docent inolescere libro. 


For where the tender rinds of trees disclose 
‘Their shooting gems, a swelling knot there grows; 


ROMANS.—CHAP. XI. 257 


“if thouconti nue in his goodness : otherwise, ° thou also 
shal the cut off. 


a1 Cor. 15.2. Hebr. 3. 6, 14.—b John 15. 2. : 


Just in that space, a narrow slit we make, 
Then other buds from bearing trees we take ; 
Inserted thus, the wounded rind we close; 
In whose moist womb the admitted infant grows. 
DrypeEx. 


tn all countries the principle is the same, though the mode is 
various. 

The apostle having adopted this metaphor as the best he could find, 
to express that act of Gods justice and mercy by which the Jews 
were rejected, and the Gentiles elected in their stead ; and, in order 
to show that though the Jewish tree was cut down, or its branches 
lopped off, yet it was not rooted up, he informs the Gentile believers, 
that as it is customary to insert a good cion in a bad or useless stock, 
they who were bad, contrary to the custom in such cases, were graft- 
ed in a good stock, and their growth and fruitfulness proclaimed the 
excellence and vegetative life of the stock in which they were insert- 
ed. This was the goodness of the heavenly Gardener to them ; but 
it was severily, a7rorouiaz, an act of excision to the Jews. 

The reader will observe that this term belongs to ingrafting : often, 
in this operation, a part of a branch is cut off; in that part which re- 
mains in connexion with the tree, a little slit is made, and then a small 
twig or branch taken from another tree, is, at its lower end, shaved 
thin, wedge-like, and then inserted in the cleft, after which the whole 
is tied together, clayed round, &c. and the bark unites to bark; and 
the stock and the cion become thus one tree, the juices of the old 
stock circulating through the tubes of the newly inserted twig; and 
thus both live, though the branch inserted bears a very different fruit 
from that which the parent stock bore. I have often performed this 
operation, and in this very way, with success. AndI cannot conceive 
that the apostle could have chosen a more apt, or a more elegant 
metaphor. The Jewish tree doesmot bring forth proper fruit ; “but 
it will answer well to ingraft a proper fruit-bearing tree on. The 
Gentiles are a wild olive, which isa tree that bears no fruit; but it 
may be made to bear if grafted on the Jewish stock. Some of the 
branches were cut off, that the branches of this wild olive might be 
inserted : the act by which this insertion is made, is termed xensornc, 
goodness, benignity ; the act by which the branches of the original 
stock are broken off, is termed arotopia, excision, from aro, from, 
and ttuve, I cut, still keeping the metaphor, taken from ingrafting, 
in view. Now, let the apostle’s mode of reasoning be observed: the 
tree is cut down, or its branches are lopped off; ‘but the tree is not 
rooted up, The Jews have stumbled, but not so as to fall irrecover- 
ably ; for, if they abide not still in unbelief, they shall be grafted in, 

22" 


258 ROMANS.—CHAP. XI. 
23 And they also, *if they abide not in unbelief, shall be’ 
graffed in : for God is able to graff them in again. _ 


———oo oe omaoaooN—eEoEoEo——E——EEEEEeS 
a2 Cor. 3. 16. 


ver. 23. The Gentiles, who are grafted in on these cut-off branches, 
like the cion inserted in another stock, partake of the root, which 
absorbs from the earth the nutricious juices, and the fatness of the 
Jewish tree, the blessings. and privileges which that people have long 
enjoyed, in consequence of the Abrahamic covenant, yer. 17. the 
root, the Jewish covenant, bears them; not they the root, ver. 18. 
As, therefore, the continuance of the Gentiles, as the church and 
people of God, depends upon their interest in the Abrahamic cove- 
nant, the blessings of which they derive through the medium of the 
Jews ; they should be grateful to God, and tolerant to those through 
whom they have received such blessings. And as in the case of graft- 
ing, the prosperity of the ingrafted cion depends on the existence of 
the parent stock; so the continuance of the Gentiles in this state of 
favour, (following the metaphor,) in a certain way, depends on the 
continuance of the Jewish people: and they are preserved, as so 
many cions, which are in process of time, to be ingrafted on the Gen- 
tiles ; and thus the Gentiles shall become the means of salvation to 
the Jews ; as the Jews have been the means of salvation to the Gen- 
tiles. Following, therefore, the metaphor a little further, which seems 
to have been so well chosen in all its parts; the continued existence 
of the Jews, as a distinct people, together with the acknowledgment 
of the Gentiles, that they have derived their salvation and state of 
blessedness through them ; of which Jesus Christ, born of the stock 
of David, is the Author; and the Jewish Scriptures, which the Gen-- 
tiles receive as inspired by God, are the evidence ; then, the restora- 
tion of the Jews, to the favour of God, is a necessary consequence : 
and, indeed, seems to be the principal end in reference fo which the 
apostle reasons. The Gentiles, however, are to take care that the 
restoration of the Jews be not at their expense; as their calling and 
election were at the expense of the Jews; the latter being cut off, 
that the former might be grafted in, ver. 19. Of this there is no 
kind of necessity, for the original stock, the Abrabamic covenant, is 
sufficient to receive them all; and so Jews and Gentiles become one 
eternal flock, under one Bishop and Shepherd of all their souls. 
Verse 23. If they abide not in unbelief| So, we find that their 
rejection took place in consequence of their wilful obstinacy: and, 
that they may return into the fold, the door of which still stands 
open. ; 
Por God is able to graff them in again.] Fallen as they are, and 
degraded, God can, in the course of his providence and merey, re- 
store them to all their forfeited privileges; and this will take place if 
they abide not in unbelief; which intimates, that God has furnished 
them with all the power and means necessary for faith; and that 


ROMANS.—CHAP. XI. 259 


@4 For, if. thou wert cut out of the olive-tree which is 
wild by nature ; and wert graffed contrary to nature into a 
good olive-tree ; how much more shall these, which be , 
the natural branches, be graffed into their own olive-tree ? 

25 For, I would not, brethren, that ye should be igno- 


eee 


they may believe on the Lord Jesus whenever they will. The veil 
now continues on ‘their heart, but it is not a veil which God has 
spread there, but a veil occasioned by their own voluntary and ob- 
stinate unbelief: and when they shall turn to the Lord (Jesus) the 
veil shall be taken away. See what the apostle has said, 2 Cor. iii. 
6—18. 

Verse 24. The olive-tree, which is wild by nature] Which is zerx 
guety, naturally wild and barren; for, that the wild olive bore no 
fruit, is sufficiently evident from the testimony of the authors who 
have written on the subject: hence the proverb Axagorsgos ayeir- 
xou; more unfruitful than the wild olive. Aaxaves pag ayeray 
trAtiay, dyeimmoy xtrovet* for the Lacedemonians term the wild olive 
ayerrmovs See Suipas. . And hence Hesxcurws interprets Ayese- 
aasoc, the wild olive, (the word used here by S:. Paul,) by axzezoe, 
unfruitjul; and the reason given in DiocEn. Proverb. Cent. ii. n, 
63, is qurov yae esi 6 ayermmos axaemroy’ for the wild olive ts an un- 
fruitful tree. On this account the apostle very properly says, thou 
wert cut, ee tno Hava quo ayererxtou, out of that olive which 1s un- 
cultivated, because it is barren; the xara guczy, does not refer here 
to its being naturally barren: but to its being commonly, or custom- 
arily permitted to remain so. And, that this is the import of the 
phrase here; is evident from the next clause of the verse. 

And wert graffed contrary to nature] Taee guety, contrary to all 
custom, for acion taken from a barren or useless tree, is scarcely 
ever known to be grafted into a good stock: but here the Gentiles, 
a fruitless and sinful race, are grafted on the ancient patriarchal 
stock. Now, if it was possible to effect such a change in the state 
and disposition of the Gentiles who were aGec: ¢v rm xocew, Eph. ii. 
12. without God, atuEtsts in the world ; how much more possible 
is it, speaking after the manner of men, to bring about a similar 
change in the Jews, who acknowledge the one only, and true God ; 
and receive the law and the prophets as a revelation from him. 
This seems to be the drift of the apostle’s argument. 

Verse 25. I would not—that ye should be ignorant of this mystery} 
Mystery, «usunetcv, signifies any thing that is hedden, or covered, or 
not fully made manifest. The Greek word seems to have been bor- 
rowed from the Hebrew snpp mister, from the root snp saiar, to hide, 
conceal, &c. though some derive it from uuerbas, to be initiated into 
sacred rites, from «usiv, to shut up. In the New Testament, it signi- 
fies, generally, any thing, or doctrine, that has not, in former times, 
been fully known to men : or, something that has not been heard of ; 


260 ROMANS.—CHAP. Xt. 


rant of this mystery, lest ye should be * wise in your own 
conceits ; that ® blindness ¢ in part has happened to Israel, 
4 until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. 


=———aahahaEESESESE—— ae 
2 Ch. 12. 16.—b Ver.7. 2Cor. 3. 14.—e Or, hardness.—d Luke 21.24. Rev. 7.9. 
neem 


or whichis so deep, profound, and difficult of comprehension, that it 
cannot be apprehended without special direction and instruction ; 
here, it signifies the doctrine of the future restoration of the Jews, 
not fully known in itself, and not at all known as to the time in which 
it willtake place. In chap. xvi. 25. it means the Christian religion, 
not known till the advent of Christ. The apostle wished the Ro- 
mans not to be ignorant of this mystery, viz. that such a thing was 
intended : and, in order to give them as much instruction as possible 
on this subject, he gives them some characteristic, or sign of the 
times when it was to take place. 

Lest ye should be wise in your own conceits| It seems from this, 
and from other expressions in this epistle, that the converted Gen- 
tiles had not behaved towards the Jews with that decorum and pro- 
priety which the relation they bore to them required. In this chap- 
ter the apostle strongly guards them against giving way to such a 
disposition. ' 

Blindness in part is happened to Israel] Partial blindness, or 
blindness to a part of them; for they were not all unbelievers: seve- 
ral thousand of them had been converted to the Christian faith; 
though the body of the nation, and especially its rulers, civil and 
spiritual, continued opposed to Christ and his doctrine, 

Until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in] And this blindness 
will continue till the church of the Gentiles be fully completed; till 
the Gospel be preached through all the nations of the earth, and 
multitudes of heathens every where embrace the faith. The words 
Trupwpe toy esvev, may be borrowed from the >In Nop melo hago- 
yim, a multitude of nations, which the Septuagint translate by 7Ay- 
Sos ebvay. By the vanewpue, or fulness, a great multitude may be 
intended; which should be so dilated on every hand as to fill various 
regions. In this sense the words were understood by Solomon ben 
Melec, Onn wWoow nan nis The nations of the Gentiles shall be 
Jfilled with them: the apostle, therefore, seems togive this sense of the 
mystery, that the Jews will continue in a state of blindness, till such 
a time as a multitude of nations, or Gentiles, shall be converted to 
the Christian faith; and the Jews, hearing of this, shall be excited, 
by a spirit of emulation, to examine and acknowledge the validity 
of the proofs of Christianity, and embrace the faith of our Lord 
Jesus Christ. 

We should not restrict the meaning of these words too much, by 
imagining—1. That the fulness must necessarily mean all the nations 
of the universe ; and all the individuals of those nations: probably 


ROMANS.—CHAP. XI. 261. 


26 (And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, 
2 There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall 
turn away ungodliness from Jacob. 

27 » For, this 72s my covenant unto them, when | shall 
take away, their sins. ) 


a Isai. 59.20. See Psa. 14 7.—bIsai. 27.9. Jer. 31.31, &c. Heb. 8. 8. & 10. 16. 


no more than a general spread of Christianity over many nations 
which are now under the influence of Pagan or Mohammedan super- 
stition, may be what is intended. 2. We must not suppose that the 
coming in, here mentioned, necessarily means what most religious 
persons understand by conversion, a thorough change of the whole 
heart and the whole life; the acknowledgment of the Divine mission 
of our Lord, and a cordial embracing of the Christian religion, will 
sufficiently fulfil the apostle’s words. If we wait for the conversion 
of the Jews till such a time as every Gentile and Mohammedan soul 
shall be, in this especial sense, converted to God, then—we shall 
wait for ever. 

Verse 26. And so all Israel shall be saved] Shall be brought into 
the way of salvation, by acknowledging the Messiah; for the word 
certainly does not mean eternal glory: for, no man can conceive that 
a time will ever come, in which every Jew, then living, shall be 
taken to the kingdom of glory. The termed saved, as applied to 
the {sraelites in different parts of the Scripture, signifies no more 
than their being gathered out of the nations of the world; separated 
to God, and possessed of the high privilege of being his peculiar peo- 
ple. And we know that this is the meaning of the term, by finding 
it applied to the body of the Israelites when this alone was the;sum 
of their state. See the preface, page xxi. &c. 

Asit is written] The apostle supports what he advances'on this 
head, by 4 quotation from Scripture, which in the main, is taken 
from Isa. lix. 20, The Deliverer shall come out of Zion, and turn 
away ungodliness from Jacob. Now this cannot be understood of 
the manifestation of Christ among the Jews; or of the multitudes 
which were converted before, at, or some time after, the day of Pen- 
tecost; for these times were all past when the apostle wrote this 
epistle, which was probably about the 57th or 58th year of our 
Lord: and, as no remarkable conversion of that people has since 
taken place, therefore, the fulfilment of this prophecy is yet to take 
place. In what manner Christ is to come out of Zion ; and in what 
way, or by what means he is to turn away transgression from Jacob, 
we cannot tell; and to attempt to conjecture; when the time, occa- 
sion, means, &c. are all in mystery, would be more than reprehen- 
sible. 

Verse 27. For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away 
their sins| The reader, on referring to Isa, chap. lix. 20, 21. will 


i —z_zo oe 
262 ROMANS —CHAP. XI. 


= 
28 As concerning the Gospel, they are enemies for your 
sakes : but as touching the election, they are * beloved for 
the fathers’ sakes. 


29 For the gifts and calling of God are * without répent- 
ance. 


a Deut. 7.8. & 9, 5. & 10. 15.—b Numb. 23, 19. 


find that the words of the original are here greatly abridged. They 
are the following : 

And the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn 
Srom transgression in Jacob, saith the Lord. As for me, this is my 
covenant with them, saith the Lord, My Spirit that is upon thee, and 
my words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy 
mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the m of thy 
seed’s ‘seed, saith the Lord, from henceforth and for ever. 

For the manner in which St. Paul makes his quotations from Scrip- 
ture, see the observations at the end of the preceding chapter. The 
whole of these two verses should be read in a parenthesis, as 1 have 
marked them in the text; for it is evident that the 25th verse should 
be immediately connected with the 28th. 

It may not be amiss to subjoin here a collection of those texts in 
the Old Testament that seem to point out a restoration of the Jew- 
ish commonwealth, to a higher degree of excellence than it has yet 
attained.—Isa. ii. 2-5. xix. 24, 25. xxv. 6, &c. xxx. 18, 19, 26. Ix. 
throughout : Ixy. 17. to the end: JerEm. xxxi. 10, 11, 12. xlvi. 27, 
28. Ezex. xx. 34, 40, &c. xxviii. 25, 26. xxxiv. 20, &e. XEXVi. g— 
16. xxxvii. 21-28, xxxix. 25, &c. Jorn iii. 1, 2, 17, 20, 21. Amos 
ix, 9. tothe end: Onan. ver. 17,21. Mica iv. 3—1. vii. 18,19, 
20. . ZEPH. iii. 19, 20. 

Verse,28 As concerning the Gospel] The unbelieving Jews, with 
regard to the Gospel, which they have rejected, are at present ene- 
mies to God, and aliens from his kingdom, under his Son Jesus 
Christ, on account of that extensive grace which has overturned 
their peculiarity, by admitting the Gentiles into his church and 
family : but with regard to the original purpose of election, where- 
by they were chosen and separated from all the people of the earth, 
to be the peculiar people of God, they are beloved for the fathers’ 
sakes; he has still favour in store for them, on account: of their fore- 
fathers, the patriarchs. 

Verse 29. For the gifis and calling of God, &c.] wiles which 
God has bestowed upon them; and the calling, tps invitation with 
which he has favoured them, he will never re ke. In reference to 
this point, there is no change of mind in him; and, therefore, the 
possibility and. cerlainty of their restoration to ‘their original privi- 
leges of being the people of God, of enjoying every spiritual blessing 


with the fulness of the Gentiles, may be both reasonably and safely 
inferred, 


. 
P. ae zr, 263 


30 For as ye *in times past have not > believed God, 
yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief: 

31 Even so have these also now not © believed, that 
through your mercy they also may obtain mercy. 

32 For *God hath © concluded them all in unbelief, that 
he might have mercy upon all. 


a Eph. 2. 2. Col. 3. 7.—> Or, obeyed.—¢ Or, obeyed—4Ch. 3.9. Gal. 3. 22.—e Or, 
skut them all up together. 


- Repentance, when applied to God, signifies simply change of pur- 
pose relative to some declaration made subject to certain conditions. 
See this fully explained and illustrated by himself. Jer. xviii. 7, 8,9. 

Verse 30. For as ye in times past] The apostle pursues his argu- 
ment in favour of the restoration of the Jews. As ye, Gentiles, in 
times past, for many ages back ; 

Have not believed] Were in a state of alienation from God; yet, 
not so as tobe totally and for ever excluded: 

Have now obtained mercy| For ye are now taken into the kingdom 
of the Messiah ; through their unbelief, by that method which, in 
destroying the Jewish peculiarity, and fulfilling the Abrahamic co- 
venant, has occasioned the unbelief and obstinate opposition of the 
Jews. 

Verse 31. Even so have these also] In like manner the Jews are, 
through their infidelity, saut out of the kingdom of God :-— 

That through your mercy] But this exclusion will not be ever- 
lasting, but this will serve to open a new scene, when through far- 
ther displays of mercy to you Gentiles, they also may obiain mercy : 
shall be received into the kingdom of God again; and this shall take 
place whenever they shall consent to acknowledge the Lord Jesus, 
and see it their privilege to be fellow-heirs with the Gentiles of the 
grace of life. 

As sure, therefore, as the Jews were once in the kingdom, and the 
Gentiles were not; as sure as the Gentiles are now in the kingdom, 
and the Jews are not : so surely will the Jews be brought back into 
that kingdom. ; * % 

Verse 32. For God hath concluded them all in unbelief] Zvvezacice 
y2e 6 Ozoc, God hath shut, or locked them all up under unbelief. This 
refers to the guilty state of both Jews and Gentiles. They had all 
broken God’s law; the Jews, the written law; the Gentiles, the law 
Written in their hearts; see chap. i. 19, 20. andii. 14,15. They 
are represented here as having been accused of their transgressions ; 
tried at God’s bar; found guilty on being tried; condemned to the 
death they had merited: remanded to prison, till the sovereign will, 
relative to their execution, should be announced ; shut or locked up 
under the jailor Unbelief; and there, both continued in the same 
state, awaiting the execution of their sentence ; but God, in his own 
compassion, moved by no merit in either party, caused a general 


(£ Raner ula 


264 ROMANS.—CHAP. Xi. 


33 O the depth of the riches, both of the wisdom and 
knowledge of God! * how unsearchable are his judgments, 
and » his ways past finding out! 

34 ©For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or 
4 who hath been his counsellor ? j 


a Psa. 36. 6.—b Job 11.7. Psa. 92.5.—eJob 15.8. Isai. 40.13, Jer/28. 19. Wisd. 
9.13. 1 Cor. 2. 16.—d Job 36. 22. ; 

eee Oe 
pardon, by the Gospel, to be proclaimed to all. The Jews have re- 
fused to receive this pardon on the terms which God has proposed 
it; and therefore continue locked up under unbelief. The Gentiles 
have welcomed the offers of grace, and are delivered out of their 
prison. But as tbe offers of mercy continue to be made to all indis- 
criminately, the time will come, when the Jews, seeing the vast ac- 
cession of the Gentile world to the kingdom of the Messiah, and the 
glorious privileges which they in consequence enjoy, shall also lay 
hold on the hope set before them, and thus become with the Gentiles, 
one flock under one Shepherd and Bishop of all-their souls. The 
same figure is used Gal. iii. 22, 23. But the Seripture hath conclu- 
ded cuycxatioey, locked up all under sin, thal the promise by faith of 
Christ Jesus, might be given to them that believe. But before faith 
came we were kept, epeovgouued2, we were guarded as in a strong 
hold, under the law; shui up, cvyxexrciopevos, locked up together 
unto the faith which should afterward be revealed. This is a fine 
and well chosen metaphor in both places, and forcibly expresses the 
guilty, helpless, wretched state of both Jews and Gentiles. 

Verse 33. O the depth of the riches, both of the wisdom and know- 
ledge of God!] This isa very proper conclusion of the whole pre- 
ceding discourse. Wisdom may here refer to the designs of God; 
knowledge to the means which he employs to accomplish these de- 
signs. The designs are the offspring of infinite wisdom, and there- 
fore they are all right: the means are the most proper, as being the 
choice of an infinite knowledge that cannot err ; we may safely credit 
the goodness of the design, founded in infinite wisdom: we may rely 
on the due accomplishment of the end, because the means are cho- 
sen and applied by infinite knowledge and skill. 

Verse 34, For who hath known the mind of the Lord ?| Who can 
pretend to penetrate the counsels of God; or fathom the reasons oi 
histonduct? His designs and his counsels are like himself, infinite ; 
and consequently, inscrutable. It is strange that, with such a scrip- 
ture as this before their eyes, men should sit down, and coolly, and 
positively write about counsels and decrees of God, formed from all 
eternity, of which they speak with as much confidence and decision, 
as if they had formed a part of the council of the Most High; and 
had been with him in the beginning of his ways! A certain writer, 
after having entered into all these counsels, and drawn out his 
blacklined scheme of absolute and eternal reprobation, with all its 


* 


ROMANS.—CHAP. XI. 265 


35 Or, * who hath first given to him, and it shall be re-_ 
compensed unto him again ? 

36 For » of him, and through him, and to him, are all 
things : © to 4 whom be glory for ever. Amen. 


a Job 35. 7. & 41. 11.—> 1 Cor. 8. 6. Col. 1. 16. Gal. 1.5. 1 Tim.1.17. 2Tim.4. 18. 
Heb. 13. 21. 1 Pet. 5.11. 2 Pet.3.18. Jude 25.—< Rev. 1. 6—4 Gr. him. 


causes and effects; and then his lightlined scheme of absolute and 
eternal election, with all its causes and effects; all deduced in the 
. most regular and graduated order, link by link, concludes with ver. 
33. O the depth of the riches, both of the wisdom and knowledge of Gud! 
How UNSEARCHABLE are his judgments, and his ways PAST FINDING 
out! But this writer forgot that he had searched out God’s judg- 
ments in the one case, and found out his ways in the other; and that 
he had given, as a proof of the success of his researches, a complete 
exhibition of the whole scheme! This conduct is worthy of more 
than mere reprehension ; and yet he who differs from such opinions, 
gives, in the apprehension of some, this proof of his being included in 
some of the links of the black list! We may rest with the conviction, 
that God is as merciful and good in all his ways, as He is wise and 
just. But, as we cannot comprehend him, neither can we his ope- 
rations ; itis our place, who are the objects of his infinite mercy and 
kindness, to adore in silence, and to obey with alacrity and delight. 

Verse 35. Or, who hath first given to him] Who can pretend to 
have any demands upon God? To whom is he indebted? Have 
either Jews or Gentiles any right to his blessings? May not he be- 
stow his favours as he pleases, and to whom he pleases? Does he 
do any injustice to the Jews in choosing the Gentiles? And was it 
because he was under obligation to the Gentiles, that he has chozen 
them in the place of theJews? Let him who has any claim on 
God prefer it, and he shall be compensated. 

But how can the Creator be indebted to the creature? Howcan 
the cause be dependent on the effect? How can the Author of pro- 
vidence, and the Father of every good and perfect gift, be under 
obligation to them for whom he provides, and who are wholly de- 

endent on his bounty ? 

Verse 36. For of him, &c.] This is so far from being the case, 
for, ¢€ 2vrcv, OF Aim, as the original Designer and Author; and dy’ 
aurou, BY him, as the prime and efficient Cause; and ¢1¢ avtoy, TO 
him, as the ultimate End for the manifestation of his eternal glory 
and goodness, are all things in universal nature, through the whole 
compass of time and eternity. 

The emperor Marcus Antoninus, (is ¢auroy, lib. iv.) has a saying 
very much like this of St. Paul, whichit is very probable be borrowed 
from this epistle to the Romans. Speaking of nature, whom he ad- 
dresses as God, he says, 2 gueis ex ocv wavTa, cv Tok Mayra, Ef 
os xavra; O Nature! o€ thee are all things; in thee are all things; 


266 ROMANS.—CHAP. XI. 


To thee are all things. Several of the Gentile philosophers had ex 
pressions of the same import, as may be seen in Wetstein’s quo- 
tations. ’ ; 

To whombe glory] And let him have the praise of all his works, 
from the hearts and mouths of all his intelligent creatures, for ever, 
throughout all the generations of men. Amen, so be it; let this be 
established for ever ! : 


+ 
* 


I. The apostle considers the designs of God inscrutable: and his 
mode of governing the world incomprehensible. His designs, 
schemes, and ends, are all infinite ; and consequently unfathomable. 
It is impossible to account for the dispensations either of bis justice or 
mercy. He does things under both these characters ban far sur- 
pass the comprehension of men. But though his dispensations are a 
great deep, yet they are never self-contradictory : though they far 
surpass our reason, yet they never contradict reason; nor are they 
ever opposite to those ideas which God has implanted in man of 
goodness, justice, mercy, and truth. But it is worthy of remark, 
that we can more easily account for the dispensations of his justice, 
than we can for the dispensations of his merey. We can every 
where see ten thousand reasons why he should displayyhis justice; but 
scarcely can we find one reason why he should display his mercy. 
And yet, these displays of mercy, for which we can scarcely find a 
reason, are infinitely greater and more numerous than his displays 
of justice; for which the reasons are, in a vast variety of cases, as 
obvious as they are multiplied. The sacrifice of Christ is certainly 
an infinite reason why God should extend, as he does, his mercy to 
all men; but Jesus Christ is the gift of God’s love : who can account 
for the love that gave him to redeem a fallen world! The Jews 
have fallen under the displeasure of Divine justice; why they 
should be objects of this displeasure is at once seen, in their ingrati-) 
tude, disobedience, unbelief, and rebellion. But a most especial 
providence has watched over ghem, and preserved them in all their 
dispersions for 1700 years. ho can account for this? Again, 
these very persons have a most positive promise of a future deliver- 
ance, both great and glorious. Why should thisbe? The Gentile 
world was long left without a divine revelation, while the Jews en- 
joyed one :—Who can account for this? The Jews are now cast out 
of favour, in a certain sense, and the reasons of it are sufficiently 
obvious; and the Gentiles, without any apparent reason, are taken 
into favour. In all these things his judgments. are unsearchable, and 
his ways past finding out. Veet 

II. Once more let it be remarked, that although God is every 
where promising, and bestowing the greatest and most ennobling 
privileges, together with an eternal and ineffable glory, for which 
We can give no reason but his own endless goodness, through the 
death of his Son; yet in no case does he remove those privileges, nor 
exclude from this glory, but where the reasons are most obvious to 
the meanest capacity. ; 


ROMANS.—CHAP. XIlL. 267 


Ill. This epistle has been thought, by some, to afford proofs that 
God, by an eternal decree, had predestinated to eternal perdition 
millions of millions of human souls, before they had any existence, 
except in his own purpose, and for no other reason but his sovereign 
pleasure! But such a decree can be no more found in this book, 
than such a disposition in the mind of Him who is the perfection, as 
he is the model of wisdom, goodness, justice, mercy and truth. 
May God save the reader from profaning his name, by suppositions 
at once so monstrous, impious, and absurd ! 


CHAPTER XI. 


Such displays of God’s mercy as Jews and Gentiles have received, should 
induce them to consecrate themselves to Him; and not be conformed to 
the world, 1,2. Christians are exhorted to think meanly of themselves, 
3. And each to behave himself properly in the office which he has re- 
ceived from God, 4—8. Various important moral duties recommended, 


9—18. We must not avenge ourselves, but overcome evil with good, 
19—21. 


iT * BESEECH you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies 
of God, that ye © present your bodies “a living sacri- 


a2 Cor. 10. 1.—b1 Pet. 2. 5.—c Psa. 50. 13. 14. Ch. 6. 13, 16,19. 1Cor. 6. 13, 20.— 
d Hebr. 10. 20. 


NOTES ON CHAPTER XII. 

The apostle having now finished the doctrinal part of this epistle, 
proceeds to the practical: and here it may be necessary to takea 
view of his arguments in the preceding chapters. 

The election, calling, and justification, of the believing Gentiles, 
and their being admitted into the kingdom and covenant of God, and 
having an interest in all the privileges and honours of his children. 
(1.) That they have a clear and substantial title to all these he has 
proved in chap. i, ii. and iii. (2.) That this right is set on the same 
footing with Abraham’s title to the blessings of the covenant, he 
proves chap.iv. (3.) That it gives us a title to privileges and bless- 
ings as great as any the Jews could glory in, by virtue of that cove- 
nant, chap. v. 1—12. (4.) He goes still higher, and shows that our 
being interested in the gift and grace of God in Christ Jesus, is per- 
fectly agreeable to the grace. which he has bestowed pon all man- 
kind, in delivering them from that death of the body brought on them 
by Adam’s transgression, chap. v. 12—21. (5.) He fully explains, 
both with regard to the Gentiles and Jews, the nature of the Gospel 
constitution, in relation to its obligations to holiness ; and the advan- 
tages it gives for encouragement, obedience, and support, under the 
severest trials and persecutions, chap. vi. vii. viii. (6.) As the pre- 
tences of the Jews, that “God was bound, by express promise, to 
continue them as his only people for ever; and that this was directly 
inconsistent with the election and calling of the Gentiles, on the con- 
dition of faith alone :”” he demonstrates that the rejection of the Jews 


268 ROMANS.—CHAP. XIU. 


fice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable 
service. 


ee ———————————————_—_——_—_—_—_— 
is consistent with the truth of God’s word, and with his righteousness : 

he shows the true cause and reason of their rejection ; and concludes 
with an admirable discourse upon the extent and ‘duration of it; 
which he closes with adoration of the Divine wisdom, in his various ¢ 
dispensations, chap. ix. x. xi. Thus, having cleared this important 
subject with surprising judgment, and the nicest art and skill in wri- 
ting ; he now proceeds, after his usual manner, in his epistles and the 
apostolic method of preaching, to inculcate various Christian duties : 
aud to exhort to that temper of mind, and conduct of life, which are 
suitable to the profession of the Gospel, and the enjoyment of its pri- 
vileges. Dr. Taylor. 


Verse 1, I beseech you, therefore, brethren] This address is pro- 
bably intended both for the Jews and the Gentiles ; though some sup- 
pose that the Jews are addressed in the first verse; the Gentiles, in 
the second. 

By the mercies of God] Asa ray oimtiprar rou Osu by the ten- 

‘ der mercies, or compassions of God, such as a tender father shows to 
his refractory children; to whom, on their humiliation, he is easily 
persuaded to forgive their offences. The word Ouxrippeos comes from 
oreT 0s, compassion : and that from enw, to yield ; because he that has 
compassionate feelings, is easily prevailed on to do a kindness, or re- 
mit an injury. 

Ye present your bodies} A metaphor taken from bringing sacrifices 
to the altar of God. The person offering picked out the choicest of 
his flock, brought it to the altar, and presented it there as an atone- 
ment for his sin. They are exhorted to give themselves up in the 
spirit of sacrifice : to be as wholly the Lord’s property as the whole 
burnt-offering was ; no part being devoted to any other use. 

A living sacrisice] In opposition to those dead sacrifices which 
they were in the habit of offering, while in their Jewish state: and 
that they should have the lusts of the flesh mortified, that they might 
live to God. 

Holy] Without spot or blemish; referring still to the sacrifice 
required by the law. 

Acceptable unto God] Evapessy, the sacrifice being perfect in its 
kind ; and the intention of the offerer being such, that both can be 
acceptable and well pleasing to God, who searches the heart. All 
these phrases are sacrificial, and show that there must be a complete 
surrender of the person ; the body, the whole man, mind, and flesh, to 
be given to God: and that he is to consider himself no more his own, 
but the entire property of his Maker, 

Your reasonable service] Nothing can be more consistent with rea- 
son, than that the work of God should glorify its Author. We are 
not our own; we are the property of the Lord, by the right of creation 
and redemption: and it would be as unreasonable as it would be 


ROMANS.—CHAP. XII. 269 


2 And * be not conformed to this world: but *be ye 
transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may 


21 Pet. 1.14. 1 John 2. 15.— Eph. 1. 18. & 4.23. Col. 1. 21, 22. & 3. 10. 


_ wicked, not to live to his glory, in strict obedience to his will. The 

reasonable service, rxyixnv Axtpeiav, of the apostle, may refer to the 
difference between the Jewish and Christian worship. The former 
religious sefVice consisted chiefly in its sacrifices, which were 
ds aacypwy, of irrational creatures; i. e. the lambs, rams, kids, 
bulls, goats, &c. which were offered under thelaw. The Christian 
service of worship i; Aczzn, rational, because performed accord- 
ing to the true intent and meaning of the law; the heart and soul 
being engaged in the service. He alone lives the life of a fool and 3 
madman, .who lives the life of a sinner against God: for, in sinning 
against his Maker, he wrongs his own soul, loves death, and rewards 
evil unto himself. 

Verse 2. And be notconformed to this world| By this world, ataye 
routw, may be understood that present state of things both among the 
Jews and Gentiles; the customs and fashions of the people who then 
lived ; the Gentiles particularly, who had neither the power nor the 
form of godliness; thoagh some think that the Jewish economy, fre- 
quently termed mn Dy Glam haszeh, this world, this peculiar state 
of things, is alone intended. And the apostle warns them against re- 
viving usages that Christ had abolished : this exhortation still contin- 
ues in full force. The world that now is, this present state of things, 
is as much opposed to the spirit of genuine Christianity, as the world 
that then was. Pride;luxury, vanity, extravagance in dress, and 
riotous living, prevail new, as they did then; and are as unworthy of 
a Christian’s pursuit, as they are injurious to his soul, and hateful in 
the sight of God. 

Be ye transformed] Merapepooucde, be ye metamorphosed, transfi- 
gured, appear as new persons, and with new habits; as God has given 
you a new form of worship, so that ye serve in the newness of the 
Spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter. The word implies a radi- 
cal, thorough, and universal change, beth outward andinward. Sx- 
NECA, Epist. vi. shows us the force « f this word, when used in a mo- 
ralsense. Sentio,says he, non EMENDARI me fanidm, sed TRANSFI- 
GURARI; “I perceive myself: not to be amended merely, but to be 
transformed :’’ i. e. entirely renewed. 

By the renewing of your mind] Let the inward change produce 
the outward. Where the spirit, the temper and disposition of the 
mind, Eph. iv. 23. is not renewed; an outward change is but of lit- 
tle worth, and but of shor! standing. 

That ye may prove] Ess ro doxtpaev, that ye may have prach- 
cal proof and experimental knowledge of the will of God; of bis pur- 
pose and determination, which is good in itself; infinitely so. Ac- 
ceptable, evapesov, well pleasing to, and well recewwed by every mind 
that is renewed and transformed. 

And perfect] Téruov, finished and complete: when the mind is 

23 * 


} iy 
270 ROMANS.—CHAP. XII. 


@ prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect 
will of God. . 


3 For I say, » through the grace given unto me, to every 
man that is among you, © not to think of himself more high- 
ly than he ought to think ; but to think 4 soberly, accord- 
ing as God hath dealt © to every man the measure of faith. — 


aEph. 5. 10. 17. 1 Thess. 4. 3—bCh, 1. 5. & 15. 1%. 1 Cor. 3. 10. & 15. 10, 
Gal. 2. 9, Eph. 3. 2, 7, 8.—¢ Prov. 25. 27. Eccles. 7. 16. Ch. 11. 20.—4Gr. to so- 
bricty.—e 1 Cor. 12.7, 11. Eph. 4. 7. 


renewed, and the whole life changed, then the will of God is per- 
fectly fulfilled; for this is its grand design in reference to every 
human being. 

These words are supposed by Schoettgen {o refer entirely to the 
Jewish law. The Christians were to renounce this world, the Jew- 
ish state of things; to be transformed, by having their minds enlight- 
ened in the pure and simple Christian worship, that they might prove 
the grand characteristic difference between the two covenants : the 
latter being good, in opposition to the statute: which were not good, 
Ezek. xx. 25. acceptable, in opposition to those sacrifices and offerings 
which God would not accept, as it is written Psa. xl. 6—8. and per- 
fect, in opposition to that system which was imperfect, and which 
made nothing perfect; and was only the shedow of good things to 
come. There are both ingenuity and probability in this view of the 
subject. 

Verse 3. Through the grace given unto me] By the grace given, 
St. Paul most certainly means his apostolical office, by which he had 
the authority, not only to preach the Gospel; but also to rule the 
church of Christ. This is the meaning of the word, # xapss, in Epi. 
iii. 8. Unto me who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace 
given: is conceded this office or employment, immediately by God 
himself; That I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable 
riches of Christ. 

Not to think—more highly] Mu uaepopovety, not to act proudly ; to 
arrogate nothing to himself on account of any grace he had received, 
or of any office committed to him. 

But tao think soberly] Anraa deovetv ers ro cwpeovey: the reader 
will perceive here a sort of paronomasza, or play upon words ; pgovety, 
from geiv, the mind, signifies to think, mind, relish, to be of opinion, 
&c. and zo¢gg every, from coos, sound, and gens, the mind, signifies to be 
of a sound mind; to think discreetly, modesily, humbly. Let no man 
think himself more or greater than God has made him; and let him 
know that whatever he is or has of good or excellence, he has it 
from God; and that the glory belongs to the Giver, and not to him 
who has received the gift. 

Measure of faith] Merpovzisews- It is very likely, as Dr. Moore 
has conjectured, that the z:sus, faith, here used, means the Christian 
religion ; and the measure, the degree of knowledge and experience 


ROMANS.—CHAP. XII. 271 


4 For ? as we have many members in one body, and all 
members have not the same office : 


5 So ° we being many, are one body in Christ, and every 
one members one of another. 

6 © Having then gifts, differing ¢ according to the grace 
that is given to us, whether © prophecy, let us prophecy ac- 
cording, to the proportion of faith ; 


21 Gor. 12. 12. Eph. 4.16.— 1 Cor. 10. 17. & 12.9. 27. Eph. 1. 3. &4.5— i 
Cor. 12.4. 1 Pet. 4. 10,11.—4 Ver. 3—< Actsi1.27. 1 Cor. 12.10, B &13.2& 
74. 1, 6, 29, 31: 


which each had received init, and the power this gave him of being 
useful in the church of God. See ver. 6. 

Verse 4. Foras we have many members] As the human body con- 
sists of many parts, each having its respective office, and all contri- 
buting to the perfection and support of the whole ; each being indis- 
pensably necessary in the place which it occupies, and each equally 
useful, thoagh performing a different function. 

Verse 5. So we, being many] We who are members of the charch 
of Christ, which is considered the body of which he is the Head, 
have various offices assigned to us, according to the measure 
of grace, faith, and religious knowledge which we possess: and 
although each has a different office, and qualifications suitable to that 
office, yet all belong to the same body ; and each has as much need 
of the help of another as that other has of his: therefore, let there 
be neither pride on the one hand, nor envy on the other. Thesame 
metaphor, in nearly the same words, is used in Synopsis Sohar, page 
13. “ As man is divided into various members and joints, united 
among themselves, and raised by gradations above each other, and 
collectively compose one body: so all created things are members 
orderly disposed ; and altogether constitute one body. In like man- 
ner, the law, distributed into various articulations, constitutes but 
one body.” See Schoettgen. 

Verse 6. Having then gifts differing, &c.] As the goodness of 
God, with this view of our mutual subserviency and usefulness, has 
endowed us with different gifts and qualifications; let each apply 
himself to the diligent improvement of his particular office and talent: 
and modestiy Keep within the bounds of it, not exalting himself, or 
despising others. 

Whether prophecy] That prophecy, in the New Testament, often 
means the gift of exhorting, preaching, or of expounding the Serip- 
tures, is evident from many places in the Gospels, Acts, and St. 
Paul’s Epistles, see 1 Cor. xi. 4, 5. and especially 1 Cor. xiv. 3. He 
that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification, and exhortation, and 
to comfort. This was the proper office of a preacher ; and itis to the 
exercise of this office that the apostle refers in the whole of the chap- 
ter, from which the above quotations are made. See also Luke i. 
76. vii. 28. Acts xiv. 32. 1 Cor. xiy. 29. I think the apostle uses 


272 ROMANS.—CHAP. XIf._ 


7 Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or *he that 
teacheth, on teaching ; 


a Acts13.1. Eph. 4.11. Gal.6.6. 1 Tim. 5. 17. 


the term in the same sense here—Let every man who has the gift of 
preaching and interpreting the Scriptures, doit in proportion to the 
grace and light he has received from God; and im no case arrogate 
to himself knowledge which he has not received : let him not esteem 
himself more highly on account of this gift, or affect to be wise above 
what is written; or indulge himself in fanciful interpretations of the 
word of God. Be 

Dr. Taylor observes that the measure of faith, ver. 3. and the pro- 
portion of faith, ver. 6. seem not to relate to the degree of any gift 
considered in itself, but rather in the relation and proportion which 
it bore to the gifts of others. For it is plain, that he is here exhort- 
ing every man to keep soberly within his own sphere. It is natural 
to suppose that the new converts might be puffed up with the seve- 
ral gifts that were bestowed upon them: and every one might be for- 
ward to magnify his own, to the disparagement of others. Therefore 
the apostle advises them to keep each within his proper sphere; to 
know and observe the just measures and proportion of the gift in- 
trusted to him, not to gratify his pride, but to edify the church. 

The Avarcyia rus wistws, which we here translate the proportion 
of faith, and which some render the analogy of faith, has been un- 
derstood to mean, the general and consistent plan or scheme of doc- 
trines delivered in the Scriptures; where every thing bears its true 
relation and proportion to another. Thus the death of Christ is com- 
mensurate, in its merits, to the evils produced by the fall of Adam. 
The doctrine of justification by faith, bears the strictest analogy, or 
proportion, to the grace of Christ, and the helpless, guilty, condemned 
state of man. Whereas, the doctrine of justification by works, is 
out of all analogy to the demerit of sin, the perfection of the law, the 
holiness of God, aud the miserable, helpless state of man. This may 
be a good general view of the subject ; but when we come to inquire 
what those mean by the analogy of faith, who are most frequent in 
the use of the term, we shall find that it means neither more nor less 
than their own creed ; and, though they tell you that their doctrines 
are to be examined by the Scriptures, yet they give you roundly to 
know, that you are to understand these Scriptures in precisely the 
same way as they have interpreted them. ‘‘ Yo the law and to the 
testimony,” says Dr. Campbell, ‘‘is the common cry : only every one, 
the better to secure the decision on the side he has espoused, would 
have you previously resolve to put no sense whatever on the /aw and 
the testimoriy but what his favourite Goctor will admit. Thus they 
run on in a shuffling, circular sort of argument; which, though they 
studiously avoid exposing, is, when dragged into the open light, 
neither more nor less than this: ‘ You are to try our doctrine by the 
Scriptures only ; but then you are to be very careful that you ex~ 


ROMANS.—CHAP. XI. 273 


8 Or “he that exhorteth, on exhortation: “he that 
* giveth, let him do it 4 with simplicity ; * he that ruleth, 
with diligence ; he that showeth mercy, ‘ with cheerful- 
ness. 


# Acts 15.32. 1 Cor. 14. 3.—® Matt. 6.1, 2, 3.—c Or, imparteth.—4 Or, liberally. 
2Cor. 8. 2.—e Acts 20. 28.° 1 Tim. 5.17. Hebr. 13.7, 24. 1 Pet.5.2.—f2Cor. 9. 7. 


plain the Scripture solely by our doctrine.’ A wonderful plan of 
trial, which begins with giving judgment, and ends with examining 
the proof, wherein the whole skill and ingenuity of the judges are 
to be exerted in wresting the evidence, so as to give it the appear- 
ance of supporting the sentence pronounced beforehand.” See Dr. 
Campbell’s Dissertations on the Gospels, Diss. iv. sect. 14. vol. i. page 
146. Svo. edit. where several other sensible remarks may be found. 

Verse 7. Or ministry] Ataxcyia simply means the office of a dea- 
con ; and what this office was, see in the note on Acts vi. 4. where the 
subject is largely discussed. 7 

Or he that teacheth| The teacher, Aidacxaaccs, was a person 
whose office it was to instruct others, whether by catechising, or 
simply explaining the grand truths of Christianity. 

Verse 8. Or he that erhorteth] ‘O wap2x2aay, The person who 
admonished, and reprehended the unruly or disorderly; and who 
supported the weak, and comforted the penitents, and those who were 
under heaviness through manifold temptations. 

He that giveth] He who distributeth the alms of the church, with 
simplicity ; being influenced by no partiality, but dividing to each 
according to the necessity of his case. 

He that ruleth] ‘*O meoicapevos, he that presides over a particu- 
lar business; but as the verb zpoisapas, also signifies to defend, or 
patronise, it is probably used here to signify receiving and providing 
for strangers ; and especially the persecuted, who were obliged to 
leave their own homes, and were destitute, afflicted, and tormented. 
It might also imply the persons whose business it was to receive and 
entertain the apostolical teachers who travelled from place to place, 
establishing and confirming the churches. In this sense the word 
weocratic is applied to Phebe, chap. xvi. 2. She hath been a suc- 
COURER of many, and of myself also. The apostle directs that this 
office should be executed with diligence; that such destitute per- 
sons should have their necessities as promptly and as amply supplied 
as possible. 

He that showeth mercy} Let the person who is called to perform 
any act of compassion, or mercy to the wretched, do it, not grudg- 
ingly, nor of necessity, but from a spirit of pure benevolence and sym- 
pathy. The poor are often both wicked and worthless; and if those 
whoare called to minister to them as stewards, overseers, &c. do not 
take care, they will get their hearts hardened with the frequent 
proofs they will have of deception, lying, idleness, &c. And on this 
account it is that so many of those who have been cailed to minister 


a. oC “ieee 


274 ROMANS,.—CHAP. XII. 


9 * Let love be without dissimulation. »Abhor that 
which is evil ; cleave to that which is good. 

10 © Be kindly affectioned one to another ¢ with brotherly 
love ; © in honour preferring one another ; 


al Tim. 2. 5. 1. Pet. 1, 22.—» Psa. 34. 1. & 36. 4. & 97.10. Amos 5. 15.—¢ Hebr. 
i. — 3 2.17. & 3.8. 2Pet. 1. 7.—4 Or, in the love of the brethren.— 
et. 3. 3. 


to the poor, in parishes, work-houses, and religious societies, when 
they come to relinquish their employment, find that many of their 
moral feelings have been considerably blunted ; and perhaps the only 
reward they gei for their services, is the character of being hard- 
hearted. If, whatever is done in this way, be not done unto the 
Lord, it can never be done with cheerfulness. 

Verse 9. Let love be without dissimulation| H ayer ayuroxpiros* 
Have no hypocritical love ; let not your love wear a musk : make no 
empty professions. Love God and your neighbour; and by obedi- 
ence to the one, and acts of benevolence to the other, show that your 
love is sincere. 

Abhor that which is evil] Azorruyouvres to wovnpoy. Hate sinas 
you would hate that hell to which it leads. Srvzew, signifies to hafe, 
or detest with horror; the preposition e7o, greatly strengthens the 
meaning. Scvé, Styx, was a feigned river in hell, by which the 
gods were wont to swear; and if any of them falsified this oath, he 
was deprived of his nectar and ambrosia for a hundred years : hence 
the river was reputed to be hateful ; and sv7eo signified to be as hate- 
ful as hell. Two MSS. read pucouvtes, which signifies hating, in the 
lowest sense of the term. The word in the text is abundantly more 
expressive ; and our translation is both nervous and appropriate. 

Cleave'to thal which is good] Korawpevor ta ayaba, be CEMENTED, 
or GLUED fo that which is good : so the word literally signifies. Have 
an unalterable attachment to whatever leads to God, and contributes 
to the welfare of your fellow-creatures. i 

Verse 10. Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love.] 
It is difficult to give a simple translation of the original ; ry gsAaden~ 
Pla ei AAANAGUS gtAcoroeyor The word gsdaadeagia, signifies that 
affectionate regard which every Christian should feel for another, as 
being members of the same mystical body. Hence it is emphatically 
termed the love of the brethren, When William Penn of deservedly 
famous memory, made a treaty with the Indians in North America, 
and purchased from them a large woody tract, which, after its own 


nature and his name, he called Pennsylvania, he built a city on it, 


and peopled it with Christians of his own denomination; and called 
the city from the word in the text, gsaadeagia, PHILADELPHIA; an 
appellation which it then bore with strict propriety : and stillit bears 
the name. ven 

The word giaosoeyos, which we here translate kindly affectioned, 
from etacs and cregyn, signifies that tender and indescribable affec- 


cA 


ROMANS.—CHAP. XII. 275 


11 Not slothful in business ; fervent in spirit ; serving 
the Lord ; 


tion, which a mother bears to her child : and which almost all creatures 
manifest towards their young: and the word ¢!aos, or $sAew, joined 
to it, signifies a delight in it. Feel the tenderest affection towards 
each other; and delight to feel it. ‘* Love a brother Christian with 
the affection of a natural brother.”’ 

In honour preferring one another] The meaning appears to be 
this : consider all your brethren as more worthy than yourself; and 
let neither grief nor envy affect your mind at seeing another honour- 
ed, and yourself neglected. This is a hard lesson, and very few per- 
sons learn it thoroughly. If we wish to see our brethren honoured, 
still it is with the secret condition in our minds, that we be bon- 
oured more than they. We have no objection to the elevation of 
others, providing we may be at the head: But who can bear even 
to be what he calls neglected? I once heard the following conver- 
sation between two persons, which the reader will pardon my rela- 
ting in this place, as it appears to be rather in point. ‘‘ I know not,” 
said one, “that I neglect to do any thing in my power to promote the 
interest of true religion in this place ; and yet I seem to be held in 
very little repute, scarcely any person even noticing me.”? To which 
the other replied: ‘* My good friend, set yourself down for nothing, 
and if any person takes you for something, it will be all clear gain.”’ 
I thought this is a queer saying; but how full of meaning and com- 
mon seuse! Whether the object of this good counsel was profited by 
it, I cannot tell; but I looked on it, and received instruction. 

Verse 11. Not slothful in business] That God, who forbad work- 
ing on the seventh day, has, by the same authority, enjoined it on the 
other six days. He who neglects to labour during the week, is as 
culpable as he is who works on the Sabbath. An idle, slothful per- 
son, can never be a Christian. 

Fervent in spirit] To xvevpart Gecyres: do nothing at any time, 
but what is to the glory of God, and do every thing as unto him; and 
in every thing let your hearts be engaged. Be always in earnest, 
and let your heart ever accompany your hand. 

Serving the Lord| Ever considering that his eye is upon you, and 
that you are accountable to him for all that youdo; and that you 
should do every thing so as to please him. In order to this, there 
must besimplicity in the intention ; and purity in the affections. 

Instead of rw Kupia dovacvoyres, serving the Lord, several MSS. as 
DFG. and many editions, have rw xatgw Souacvoyres, serving the time, 
embracing the opportunity. This reading Griesbach has received 
into the text ; and most critics contend for its authenticity. Except 
the Codex Claromontanus, the Codex Augiensis, and the Codex 
‘Boernerianus, the first a MS. of the 7th or 8th century ; the others 
of the 9th or 10th, marked in Griesbach by the letters DFG. all the 
other MSS. of this epistle have Kugim, the Lord ; areading in which 
all the Versions concur. Kaiew, the time, is not found in the two 
original editions ; that of Complutum, in 1514, which is the first edi- 


ae ee 
276 ROMANS.—CHAP. XII. 


12 * Rejoicing in hope ; patient in tribulation ; © con- 
tinuing instant in prayer ; 

13 ‘Distributing to the necessity of saints; © given to 
hospitality. 


a Luke 10. 20. Ch. 5.2. & 15.13. Phil. 3.1, & 4.4. 1 Thess. 5. 16. Hebr. 3. 

1 Pet. 4. 13.—b Luke 21.19. 1 Tim. 6.11. Hebr. 10. 36. & 12. 1. James 1.4. & 5 

1 Pet. 2. 19, 20.—c Luke 18.1. Acts 2. 42. & 12.5. Col. 4. 2. Eph. 6. 18. 1 Thess. 
17.—4 1 Cor. 16. 1. 2Cor. 9. 1, 12. Hebr. 6. 10. & 13. 16. 1 John 3. 17.—e 1 Tim. 3. 
Titus 1.8. Hebr. 13.2. 1 Pet. 4.9, 


6. 
Te 
A 

2 


tion of the Greek Testament ever printed; and that of Erasmus, in 
1516, which is the first edition published; the former haying been 
suppressed for several years, after it was finished at the press. Asin 
the ancient MSS. the word Kveza, is written contractedly KM some 

_appear to have read it xasew, instead of Kugt@: but I confess [ donot 
see sufficient reason, after all that. the critics have said, to depart 
from the common reading. F 

Verse 12. Rejoicing in hope] Of that glory of God, that to each 
faithful follower of Christ shall shortly be revealed. 

Patient in tribulation] Remembering that what you suffer as 
Christians, you suffer for Christ’s sake: and it is to his honour, and 
the honour of your Christian profession, that you suffer it with an 
even mind. 

Continuing instant in prayer] Mecox2zeregouyres, making the most 
fervent and intense application to the throne of grace, for the light 
and power of the Holy Spirit; without which you can neither abhor 
evil, do good, love the brethren, entertain a comfortable hope, nor 
bear up patiently under the tribulations and ills of life. 

Verse 13. Distributing to the necessity of saints} Relieve your 
poor brethren, according to the power which God has given you. 
Do good unto all men, but especially to them which are of the house- 
hold of faith. Instead of ypesate, necessities, some ancient MSS. have 
“@vetats, memorials ; distributing to the memorials of the saints, which 
some interpret as referring to saints that were absent; as if he 
had said, do not forget those in other churches who have a claim on 
your bounty. But I really cannot see any good sense, which this va- 
rious reading can make in the text; I therefore follow the common 
reading. 

Given to hospitality] Tuv grrogersav diwxovres, pursuing hospita- 
lity, or the duty of entertaining strangers. A very necessary virtue 
in ancient times, when houses of public accommodation were ex- 
ceedingly scarce. This exhortation might have for its object the apos~ 
tles, who were all itinerants; and, in many cases, the Christians fly- 
ing before the face of persecution. This virtue is highly becoming 
in all Christians, and especially in all Christian ministers, who have 
the means of relieving a brother in distress, or of succouring the poor 
wherever he many find them. But providing for strangers in distress 
is the proper meaning of the term; and to be forward to do this, 
is the spirit of the duty. 


ROMANS.—CHAP. Xfi. Q1T 


14 * Bless them which persecute you ; bless, and curse 
not. . 

15 » Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with 
them that weep. 

16 © Be of the same mind one towards another. 4 Mind 
not high things, but © condescend to men of low estate. 
Be not wise in your own conceits. 


Matt. 5. 44. Luke 6.28. & 3.3. Acts7.60. 10or.4.12. 1 Pet.2.23. & 
3. 9.—> 1 Cor. 12. 26.—< Ch.15.5. 1 Cor. 1.10. Phil.2.2.&3.16. I Pet.3.8— 
¢ Psa. 131.1,2. Jer. 45. 3.—* Or, be contented with mean things.—t Prov. 3. 7. & B. 
12. Isai. 5.21. Ch. 11.25. 


Vers. 14. Bless them which persecute you] Evropsite, give good 
words, or pray for them that-give you bad words, xaraezcbe, who 
make dire imprecations against you. Bless them, pray for them, and 
on no account curse them, whatever the provocation may be. Have 
the loving, forgiving mind that was in your Lord. 

Verse 15. Rejoice with them that do rejoice] Take a lively in- 
terest in the prosperity of others. Let it be a matter of rejoicing to 
you when you hear of the health, prosperity, or happiness of any 
brother. 

Weep with them that weep| Labour after a compassionate or sym- 
pathizing mind. Let your heart feel for the distressed: enter into 
their sorrows, and bear a part of their burthens. It is a fact, attest- 
ed by universal experience, that by sympathy a man may receive 
into his own affectionate feelings, a measure of the distress of his 
friend ; and that his friend does find himself relieved in the same pro- 
portion as the other has entered into his griefs. ‘ But how do you 
account for this?’? I do not account for it at all; it depends upon 
certain laws of nature, the principles of which have not been, as yet, 
duly developed. 

Verse 16. Be of the same mind] Live in a state of continual har- 
mony and concord, and pray for the same good for all, which you de- 
sire fur yourselves. 

Mind not high things} Be not ambitious; affect nothing above 
your station ; do not court the rich, nor the powerful; do not pass by 
the poor man, to pay your court to the great man; do not effect 
titles or worldly distinctions ; nfuch less sacrifice your conscience for 
them. The attachment to high things and high men, is the vice of 
little shallow minds. However it argues one important fact, that 
such persons are conscious that they are of no worth and of no con- 
sequence in themselves; and they seek to render themselves obser- 
vable, and to gain a little credit by their endeavours to associate 
themselves with men of rank and fortune; and if possible to get into 
honourable employments; and if this cannot be attained, they af- 
fect honourable titles. 

But condescend to men of low estate] Be a companion of the hum- 
ble, and pass through life with as little noise and show-as possible. 

24 


278 ROMANS.—CHAP. XII. 


17 *Recompense to no man evil for evil. » Provide 
things honest in the sight of all men. 


@ Prov. 20, 22. Matt. 5.39. 1 Thess. 5.15. 1 Pet.3..9.—b Ch. 14. 16. 2 Cor. 8. 21. 


Let the poor godly man be your chief companion : and learn from his 
humility and piety, to be humble and godly. The term cuyarayope- 
vot, which we translate condescend, from cvy, together, and arayo, 
to lead; signifies to be led, carried, or dragged away to prison with 
another, and points out the state in which the primitive Christians, 
were despised and rejected of men; and often led forth to prison and 
death. False or man-pleasing professors would endeavour to escape 
all this disgrace and danger by getting into the favour of the great, 
the worldly, and the irreligious. ‘Phere have not been wanting, in 
all ages of the church, persons, who, losing the savour of divine 
things from their own souls, by drinking into a worldly spirit, have 
endeavoured to shun the reproach of the cross, by renouncing the 
company of the godly, speaking evil of the way of life, and, perhaps, 
sitting down in the chair of the scorner with apostates like them- 
selves. And yet, strange to tell, these men will keep up a form of 
godliness! for a decent outside is often necessary to enable them to 
secure the ends of their ambition. 

Be not wise in your own conceits.| Be not puffed up with an opin- 
ion of your own consequence; for this will prove that the conse- 
quence itself is imaginary. Be not wise, rap’ eaurots, by yourselves. 
Do not suppose that wisdom and discernment dwell alone with you. 
Believe that you stand in need both of help and instruction from 
others. 

Verse 17. Recompense, &c.] Do not take notice of every little 
injury you may sustain. Do not be litigious. Beware of too nice a 
sense of your own honour; intolerable pride is at the bottom of this. 
The motto of the royal arms of Scotland is in direct opposition to this 
divine direction, Nemo me impuné lacesset ; of which, *‘1 render evil 
for evil to every man,”’ is a pretty literal translation. This is both 
anti-christian and abominable, whether in astate or in an individual. 

Provide things honest] Be prudent; be cautious; neither eat, 
drink, nor wear, but as you pay for every thing. ‘Live not on trust, 
for that is the way to pay double ;”’ and by this means the poor are 
still kept poor. He who takes credit, even for food or raiment, when 
he has no probable means of defraying the debt, is a dishonest man. 
It is no sin to die through lack of the necessaries of life, when the 
providence of God has denied the means of support ; but it is a sin to 
take up goods without the probability of being able to pay for them. 
Poor man! suffer, poverty a little: perhaps God is only trying thee 
for a time: and who can tell if he will not turn again thy captivity. 
Labour hard to live honestly: if God still appear to withhold his 
providential blessing, do not despair ; leave it all to him ; donot make 
a sinful choice; he cannot err. He will bless thy poverty while he 
curses the ungodly man’s blessings. 


ROMANS.—CHAP. XII. 279 


i8 If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, * live peace- 
ably with all men. 

19 Dearly beloved, » avenge not yourselves, but rather 
give place unto wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is 
mine ; I will repay, saith the Lord. 


a Mark 9. 50. Ch.14.19. Heb. 12. 14.—b Lev. 19.18. Prov. 24.29. Ecclus. 28. 1, 
, &c. Ver. 17.—¢ Deut. 32. 35. Heb. 10. 30. 


Verse 18. If it be possible] To live in a state of peace with one’s 
neighbours, friends, and even family, is often very difficult. But the 
man who loves God must labour after this ; for it is indispensably ne- 
cessary even for his own sake. A man cannot have broils and mis- 
understandings with others, without having his own peace very ma- 
terially disturbed. He must, to be happy, be at peace with all men, 
whether they will be at peace with him or not. The apostle knew 
that it would be difficult to get into and maintain sucha state of peace, 
and this, his own words amply prove; and if it be possible, as mucie 
as lieth in you, live peaceably. Though it be but barely possible, la~ 
bour after it. 

Verse 19. Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves| Ye are the 
children of God, and he loves you, and because he loves you he will 
permit nothing to be done to you that he will not turn to your advan- 
tage. Never take the execution of the law into your ‘own hands ; 
rather suffer injuries. The Sonof man is come, not to destroy men’s 
lives, but to save ; be of the same spirit. When He was reviled, he 
reviled not again. dt is the part of a noble mind to bear. up under 
unmerited disgrace ; little minds are litigious and quarrelsome. 

Give place unto wrath] Aore rorov ry ogyy, leave room for the 
civil magistrate to do his duty ; he holds the sword for this purpose ; 
and if he be unfaithful to the trust reposed in him by the state, leave 
the matter to God, who is the righteous Judge; for by avenging 
yourselyes, you take your cause both out of the hands of the civil 
magistrate, and out of the hands of God. I believe this to be the 
meaning of give place to wrath, oeyn, punishment ; the penalty which 
the laws, properly executed, will inflict. This is well expressed by 
the author of the book of Hcclesiasticus, chap. xix. ver. 17. ‘* Ad- 
monish thy neighbour before thou threaten him, and not being an- 
gry, give place to the law of the Most High.” 

Vengeance is mine] ‘This fixes the meaning of the apostle, and at 
once shows that the exhortation, rather give place to wrath or punish- 
ment, means, leave the matter to the judgment of God; it is his law 
that, in this case, is broken; and to him the infliction of deserved 
punishment belongs. Some think it means, ‘‘ Yield a little to a man 
when in a violent passion, for the sake of peace, until he grow 
cooler.”” 

Iwill repay] In my own time, and in my own way. But he gives 
the sinner space to repent, and this long-suffering leads to salvation. 
Dr. Taylor, after Dr. Benson, conjectures that the apostle, in these 


il 


280 -ROMANS.—CHAP. XII. 


20 * Therefore, if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he 
thirst, give him drink: for in so doing, thou shalt heap 
coals of fire on his head. ' 


a Exod. 23. 4.5. Prov. 25, 21, 22. Matt. 5. 44. — 


directions, had his eye upon the indignities which the Jews, and pro- 
bably the Christians too, (for they were often confounded by the hea- 
thens,) suffered by the edict of Claudius, mentioned Acts xviii. 2. 
which ** commanded all Jews to depart from Rome.’’ Upon this oc- 
casion Aquila and Priscilla removed tvu-Corinth, where Paul found 
them, and dwelt with them a considerable time. No doubt they gave 
him a full account of the state of the Christian church at Rome, and 
of every thing relating to the late persecution under Claudius. That 
emperor’s edict probably died with him, if it were not repealed be- 
fore, and then the Jews and Christians, (if the Christians were also 
expelled,) returned again to Rome; for Aquila and Priscilla were 
there when Paul wrote this epistle, chap. xvi. 3. which was in the 
fourth year of Nero, successor to Claudius. 

Verse 20. If thine enemy hunger, feed him] Do not withhold 
from any man the offices of mercy and kindness ; you have been God’s 
enemy, aod yet God fed, clothed, and preserved you alive ; do to your 
enemy as God has done to you; if your enemy be hungry, feed him: 
if he be thirsty, give him drink; so has God dealt with you. And 
has not a sense of his goodness and long-suffering towards you, been a 
means of melting down your heart into penitential compunction, gra- 
titude, and love towards him? How know yousthat a similar con- 
duct towards your enemy, may not have the same gracious influence 
on him towards you? Your kindness may be the means of begetting 
in him a sense of his guilt; and from being your fell enemy, he may 
become your real friend. This I believe to be the sense of this’ pas~ 
sage, which many have encumbered with difficulties of their own 
creating. The whole is a quotation from Proy. xxv. 21, 22. in the 
precise words of the Septuagint ; and it is very likely that the latter 
clause of this verse, thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head, is a 
metaphor taken from smelting metals. The ore is put into the 
furnace, and fire put both under and over, that the metal may be 
_ liquified, and, leaving the scorie and dross, may fall down pure to 
the bottom of the furnace. This is beautifully expressed by one of 
our own poets, in reference to this explanation of this passage. 


. “So artists melt the sullen ore of lead, 


By heaping coals of fire upon its head. 
Tn the kind warmth the metal learns to glow, 
And pure from dross, the silver runs below.” 


It is most evident from the whole connexion of the place, and the 
apostle’s use of it, that the heaping of the coals of fire on the head 
of the enemy, is intended to produce not an evil, but the most bene- 
ficent effect ; and the following verse is an additional proof of this, 


—_ 


ROMANS.—CHAP. XIi. 281. 


21.4 Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with 
good. 


a Gen. 45. 4,5. Luke 23. 34. 


Verse 21. Be not overcome of evil] Do not, by giving place to 
evil, become precisely the same character which thou condemnest in 
another. Overcome evil with good; however frequently he may 
grieve or injure thee, always repay him with kindness; thy good 
will, in the end may overcome his evil. 


1. Thomas Aquinas has properly said, vincitur & malo qui vult 
peccare in alium, quia ille peccavit in ipsum. ‘‘ He is overcome of 
evil who sins against another ; because he sins against himself.” A 
moral enemy is more easily overcome by kindness than by hostility. 
Against the latter he arms himself; and all the evil passions of his 
heart concentrate themselves in opposition to him who is striving to 
retaliate, by violence, the injurious acts which he has received from 
him. But where the injured man is labouring to do him good for 
his evil; to repay his curses with blessings and prayers; his evil 
passions have no longer any motive, any incentive : his mind relaxes, 
the turbulence of his passions is calmed, reason and conscience are 
permitted to speak; he is disarmed, or, in other words, he finds that 
he has no use for his weapons; he beholds in the injured man a 
magnanimous friend, whose mind is superior to all the insults and 
injuries which he has received; and who is.determined never to 
permit the heavenly principle that influences his soul to bow itself 
before the miserable, mean, and wretched spirit of revenge. This 
amiable man views in his enemy a spirit which he beholds with hor- 
ror, and he cannot consent to receive into his own bosom a disposi- 
tion which he sees to be so destructive to another; and he knows 
that as soon as he begins to avenge himself, he places himself on a 
par with the unprincipled man, whose conduct he has so much rea- 
son to blame, and whose spirit he has so much cause to abominate. 
He who avenges himself, receives into his own heart all the evil 
and disgraceful passions by which his enemy is rendered both 
wretched and contemptible. There is the voice of eternal reason 
in “ avenge not yourselves :—overcome evil with good ;’’ as well as 
the high authority and command of the living God. 

2. The reader will, no doubt, have observed with pleasure, the 
skill and address, as well as the divine wisdom, with which the 
apostle has handled the important subjects which he has brought 
forth to view in the preceding chapters. Nothing can be more re- 
gular or judicious than his plan of proceeding. He first shows the 
miserable, wretched, fallen, degraded state of man; next, the mer~ 
ciful provision which God has made for his salvation; and, lastly, 
the use which man should make of the mercies of his God. He 
shows us, in a most pointed manner, the connexion that subsists be- 
tween the doctrines of the iar 7: and practical piety. From the 

4% 


289 ROMANS.—CHAP. XIII. 


beginning of the first to the end of the eleventh chapter, he states 
and defends the grand truths of Christianity ; and the beginning 
of the twelfth to the end of the epistle, hé shows the practical use of 
these doctrines. ‘This is a point which is rarely considered by pro- 
fessors : multitudes run to the Epistle to the Romans for texts to prop 
up their peculiar system of doctrine; but how few go to this sacred 
book for rules relative to a holy life! They abound in quotations 
from the doctrinal parts. but seldom make that use of them which 
the apostle makes in this chapter; ‘‘] beseech you, therefore, bre- 
thren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living 
sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable ser- 
vice; and be not conformed to this world,’? &c. Now we learn 
from the use which the apostle makes of his doctrines, that whatsoe- 
ver teaching comes from God, leads to a holy and useful life. And 
if we hold any doctrine that does not excite us to labour after the 
strictest conformity to the will of Ged in all our tempers, spirit, and 
actions; we may rest assured that either that doctrine is not of 
God, or we make an improper use of it. He that knows God best 
loves and resembles him most. 
———— 


CHAPTER Xill. 


Subjection to civil governors inculcated from the consideration, that civil go- 
vernment is according to the ordinance of God; and that those who resist 
the lawfully constituted authorities, shall receive condemnation, 1,2. And 
those who are obedient shall receive praise, 3. The character of a lawful 
civil governor, 4. The necessity of subjection, 5. The propriety of pay- 
ing lawful tribute, 6, 7. Christians should love one another, 8—10. Fhe 
necessity of immediate conversion to God, proved from the shortness 
and uncertainty of time, 11,12. How the Gentiles should walk so as to 
please God, and put on Christ Jesus in order to their salvation, 13, 14. 


ET every soul * be subject unto the higher powers. 
For ° there is no power but of God: the powers that 
be, are © ordained of God. 


a Tit. 3.1. 1 Pet. 2.13.—b Prov. 8. 15,16. Dan. 2.21. & 4.32. Wisd.6.3. John 
19. 11.—< Or, ordered. 


NOTES ON CHAPTER XIll. 


To see with what propriety the apostle introduces the important 
subjects which he handles in this chapter, it is nece' to make a 
few remarks on the circumstances in which the church of God then 
was, 

It is generally allowed that this epistle was written about the year 
of our Lord 58, according to the vulgar reckoning, four or five years 
after the edict of the emperor Claudius, by which all the Jews were 
banished from Rome. And as, in those early times, the Christians 
were generally confounded with the Jews, it is likely that both were 
included in this decree. 

For what reason this edict was issued, does not satisfactorily ap- 


ROMANS.—CHAP. XIIl. 283 


2 Whosoever, therefore, resisteth * the power, resisteth 
the ordinance of God ; © and they that resist shall receive 
to themselves damnation. 


= Tit. 3. 1—> Deut. 17. 12. & 21. 18. 


pear. Suetonius tells us that it was because the Jews were making 
continual disturbances under their leader Chrestus. (See the note 
on Acts xviii. 2.) That the Jews were, in general, an uneasy and 
seditious people, is clear enough from every part of their own histo- 
ry. They had the most rooted aversion from the heathen govern- 
ment; and it was a maxim with them that the world was given to the 
Israelites ; that they should have supreme rule every where, and 
that the Gentiles should be their vassals. With such political no- 
tions, grounded on their native restlessness, it is no wonder, if, in 
several instances, they gave cause of suspicion to the Roman govern- 
ment, who would be glad of an opportunity to expel from the city, 
persons whom they considered dangerous to its peace and security ; 
nor is it unreasonable, on this account, to suppose, with Dr. Taylor, 
that the Christians, under a notion of being the peculiar people of 
God, and the subjects of his kingdom alone, might be in danger of 
being infected with those unruly and rebellious sentiments; there- 
fore the apostle shows them that they were, notwithstanding their 
honours and privileges as Christians, bound by the strongest obliga- 
tions of conscience to be subject to the civil government. The judi- 
cious commentator adds, “I cannot forbear observing the admirable 
skill and dexterity with which the apostle has handled the subject. 
His views in writing are always comprehensive on every point: and 
he takes into his thoughts and instructions, all parties that might 
probably reap any benefit by them. As Christianity was then grow- 
ing, and the powers of the world began to take notice of it; it was 
not unlikely that this letter might fall into the hands of the Roman 
magistrates. And, whenever that happened, it was right not only 
that they should see that Christianity was no favourer of sedition ; 
but likewise that they should have an opportunity of reading their 
own daty and obligations. But as they were too proud and insolent 
to permit themselves to be instructed in a plain, direct way: there- 
fore, the apostle, with a masterly hand, delineates, and strongly in- 
culcates the magistrate’s duty. While he is pleading his cause with 
the subject, and eStablishing his duty on the more sure and solid 
ground, he dexterously sides with the magistrate, and vindicates his 
power against any subject who might have imbibed seditious princi- 
ples, or might be inclined to give the government any disturbance : 
and, under this advantage, he reads the magistrate a fine and close 
lecture, upon the nature and ends of civil government. And a way 
of conveyance so ingenious and unexceptionable, that even Nero 
himself, had this epistle fallen into his hands, could not fail of seeing 
his duty clearly stated, without finding any thing servile or flattering 
on the one hand, or offensive or disgusting on the other. 


264 ROMANS.—CHAP. XIlt. 


3 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the 
evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? * do 
that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same : 


al Pet. 2.14. & 3. 13. 


“ The attentive reader will be pleased to see, with what dexterity, 
truth and gravity, the apostle, in a small compassaffarms and explains 
the foundation, nature, ends, and just limits of the magistrate’s au- 
thority, while he is pleading his cause ; and teaching the subject the 
duty and obedience he owes to the civil government.”—Dr. Taylor’s 
notes, page 352. ie 

Verse 1. Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers| . This is 
a very strong saying, and most solemnly introduced; and we must 
consider the apostle as speaking not from his own private judgment, 
or teaching a doctrine of present expediency; but declaring the 
mind of God on a subject of the utmost importance to the peace of 
the world; a doctrine which does not exclusively belong to any 
class of people, order of the community, or official situations ; but to 
every soul; and, on the principles which the apostle lays down, to 
every soul in all possible varieties of situation, and on all occasions. 
And what is this solemn doctrine? It is this; Det évery soul be sub- 
ject to the higher powers. Let every man be obedient to the civil 
government under which the providence of God has cast his lot. 

For, there is no power but of God] As God is the origin of power, 
and the Supreme Governor of the universe, he delegates authority 
to whomsoever he will: and though, in many cases, the governor 
himself may not be of God, yet civil government is of him; for with- 
out this, there could be no society, no security, no private property : 
all would be confusion and anarchy ; and the habitable world would 
soon be depopulated. In ancient times, God, in an especial manner, 
ou many cccasions, appointed the individual who was to govern, and 
he accordingly governed by a divine right ; as in the case of Moses, 
Joshua, the Hebrew judges, and several of the Israelitish kings. In 
after times, and to the present day, he does that by a general super- 
intending providence, which he did before by especial designation. 
In all nations of the earth, there is what may be called a constitu- 
tion, a plan by which a particular country or state is governed; and 
this constitution is less or more calculated to promote the interests 
ofthe community. The civil governor, whether he be elective or 
hereditary, agrees to govern according to that constitution. Thus, 
we may consider, that there is a compact and consent between the 
governor and the governed, and, in such a case, the potentate may 
be considered. as coming to the supreme authority in the direct way 
of God’s providence ; and as civil government is of God, who is the 
Fountain of law, order, and regularity: the civil governor, who 
administers the laws of a state according to its constitution, is the 
te of God. But it has been asked, if the ruler be an immoral 

r profligate man, does he not prove himself, thereby, to be unwor=, 


ROMANS.—CHAP. XIII. 285 


4 9 For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But 
if thou do that which is evil, be afraid ; for he beareth 


a Ch. 2.8. & 12.19. 1 Kings 10.9. Jer. 25. 9. 


thy of his high office, and should he not be deposed? I answer—No: 
if he rule according to the constitution, nothing can justify rebellion 
against his authority. He may be irregularin his own private life; he 
may be an immoral man, and disgrace himself by an improper con- 
duct: butif he rule according to the law; if he make no attempt 
te change the constitution, nor break the compact between him and 
the people: there is, therefore, no legal ground of opposition to his 
civil authority ; and every act against him is not only rebellion, ia 
the worst sense of the word, but is unlawful, and absolutely sinful. 

Nothing can justify the opposition of the subjects to the ruler, but 
overt attempts, on his part, to change the constitution, or to rule con- 
trary to law. When the ruler acts thus, he dissolves the compact 
between him and his people ; his authority is no longer binding, be- 
cause illegal; and it is illegal because he is acting contrary to the 
laws of that constitution, according to which, on being raised to the 
supreme power, he promised togovern. This conduct justifies oppo- 
sition to his government: but I contend, that no personal misconduct 
in the ruler, no immorality in his own life, while he governs ac- 
cording to law, can either justify rebellion against him, or contempt 
of his authority. For his political conduct, he is accountable to 
the constitution: for his moral conduct, he is accountable to God, 
his conscience, and the ministers of religion. A king may be a good 
moral man, and yet a weak, and indeed, a badand dangerous prince. 
He may be a bad man, and stained with vice in his private life, and 
yet be a good prince. Savin was a good moral man, buta bad 
prince ; because he endeavoured to act contrary to the Israelitish ' 
constitution; he changed some essential parts of that constitution, 
as 1 have elsewhere shown (see the note on Acts xiii. ver. 22.) he 
was therefore lawfully deposed. James the Ild. was a good moral 
aan, as far as I can learn, but he was a bad and dangerous prince ; 
he endeavoured to alter, and essentially change the British consti- 
tution both in church and state; therefore he was lawfully deposed. 
It would be easy, in running over the list of our own kings, to point 
out several who were deservedly reputed good kings, whe in their 
private life were very immoral. Bad as they might bein private 
life, the constitution was, in their hands, ever considered a 
sacred deposit; and they faithfully preserved it, and transmitted it 
unimpaired to their successors: and took care, while they held the 
reins of government, to have it impartially and effectually admin- 
istered. xi 

It must be allowed, notwithstanding, that, whena prince, how- 
soever heedful to the laws, is unrighteous in private life, his example 
is contagious: morality, banished from the throne, is discounte- 
nanced by the community ; and happiness is diminished in proportion 
to the increase of vice. Qnthe other hand, when a king governs 


286 ROMANS.—CHAP. XIII. 


not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a re- 
venger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil. 


according to the constitution of his realms, and has his heart and life 
governed by the laws of his God, he is then a double blessing to his 
people; while he is ruling carefully according to the laws, his pious 
example is a great means of extending and confirming the reign of 
pure morality among his subjects. Vice is discredited from the 
throne: and the profligate dare not hope for a place of trust and 
confidence, (however in other respects he may be qualified for it,) 
because he is a vicious man. 

As I have already mentioned some potentates by name, as_apt ex- 
amples of the doctrines I have been laying down, my readers will 
naturally expect, that, on so fair an opportunity, I should introduce 
another ; one in whom the double blessing meets ; one who, through 
an unusually protracted reign, (during every year of which he has 
most conscientiously watched over the sacred constitution committed 
to his care) not only has not impaired this constitution, but has taken 
care that its wholesome laws should be properly administered; and 
who, in every respect, has acted as the father of his people: and 
has added to all this the most exemplary moral conduct, perhaps 
ever exhibited by a prince, whether in ancient or modern times; not 
only tacitly discountenancing vice, by his truly religious conduct, 
but by his frequent proclamations, most solemnly forbidding Sabbath- 
breaking, profane swearing, and immorality in general :—more might 
be justly said, but when I have mentioned all these things, (and I 
mention them with exultation, and with gratitude to God,) I need 
scarcely add the venerable name of GEORGE the Third, king of 
Great Britain; as every reader will at once perceive that the de- 
scription suits no potentate besides. I may just observe, that notwith- 
standing his long reign has been a reign of unparalleled troubles and 
commotions in the world, in which his empire has always been 
involved; yet, never did useful arts, ennobling sciences, and pure 
religion, gain a more decided and general ascendancy : and much of 
this, under God, is owing to the manner in which this king has lived ; 
and the encouragement he invariably gave to whatever had a ten- 
dency to promote the best interests of his people, discountenancing 
religious persecution, in all its forms. Indeed, it has been well 
observed, that, under the ruling providence of God, it was chiefly 
owing to the private and personal virtues of the sovereign, that the 
House of Brunswick remained firmly seated on the throne, amidst 
the storms arising from democratical agitations, and revolutionary 
convulsions in Europe, during the years 1792—1794. The stability 
of his throne, amidst these dangers and distresses, may prove a 
useful lesson to his successors, and show them the strength of a vir- 
tuous character; and that morality and religion form the best bul- 
wark against those great evils to which all human governments are 
exposed. This small tribute of praise to the character and conduct 
of the British king, and gratitude to God for such a governor, will 


ROMANS.—CHAP. XIII. 287 


5 Wherefore * ye must needs be subject, not only for 
wrath, » but also for conscience sake. 


~ a Eccles. 8. 2.—b 1 Pet. 2. 19. 


not be suspected of sinister motive ; as the object of it is, by an in- 
scrutable providence, placed in a situation to which neither envy, 
flattery, nor even just praise, can approach ; and where the majesty 
of the man is placed in the most awful, yet respectable ruins. 

But to resume the subject, and conclude the argument: I wish 
particularly to show the utter unlawfulness of rebellion against a 
ruler, who, though he may be incorrect in his moral conduct, yet 
rules according to the laws; and the additional blessing of having a 
prince, who, while his political conductis regulated by the prixciples _ 
of the constitution; his heart and life are regulated by the dictates 
of eternal truth, as contained in that revelation which came from 
God. ' 

Verse 2. Whosoever resisteth the power] “O avritaccomeyce ; he 
who sets himself in order against this order of God; ry rou @cou 
dtarayi, and they who resist, es aveeruxores, they who obstinately, 
and for no right reason, oppose the ruler; and strive to unsettle the 
constitution, and to bring about illegal changes. 

Shall receive to themselves damnation.| Kpt.2, condemnation ; shall 
be condemned both by the spirit and letter of that constitution; 
which, under pretence of defending or improving, they are indi- 
rectly labouring to subvert. 

Verse 3. For rulers are not a terror to good works] Here the 
apostle shows the civil magistrate what he should be: he is clothed 
with great power, but that power is entrusted him, not for the terror 
and oppression of the upright man, but tooverawe and punish the 
wicked. Itis,in a word, for the benefit of the community, and not for 
the aggrandizement of himself, that God has entrusted the supreme 
civil power to any man. If he should use this to wrong, rob, spoil, 
oppress, and persecute his subjects, he is not only a bad man, but also 
a bad prince. He infringes on the essential principles of law and 
equity. Should he persecute his obedient, loyal subjects,on any 
religious account, this is contrary to all law and right; and, his 
doing so, renders him unworthy of their confidence; and they must 
consider him not asa blessing, but a plague. Yet, even in this case, 
though in our country it would be a breach of the constitution, whic 
allows every man to worship God according to his conscience; yet 
the truly pious will not feel, that even this, would justify rebellion 
against the prince; they are to suffer patiently, and commend them- 
selves and their cause to him that judgeth righteously. It is an aw- 
fal thing to rebel, and the cases are extremely rare that can justify 
rebellion against the constituted authorities. See the doctrine 
on ver. 1. 

Wilt thow then not be afraid of the power] If thou wouldest not 
live in fear of the civil magistrate. live according tothe laws and 


288 ROMANS.—CHAP. XIII. 


6 For, for this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are 


' God’s ministers, attending continually upon this yery thing. 


thou mayest expect that he will rule according to the laws; and, 
consequently, instead of incurring blame, thou wilt have praise. 
This is said on the supposition: that the ruler is himself a good man: 
such the laws suppose him to be; and the apostle, on the general 
question of obedience and protection, assumes the point, that the 
magistrate is such, : 

Verse 4. For he is the minister of God to thee for good) Here the 
apostle puts the character of the ruler in the strongest possible light. 
He is the minister of God: the office is by Divine appointment: 
the man who is worthy of the office will act in conformity to the will 
of God: and, as the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and 
his ears open to their cry, consequently, the raler will be the minis- 
ter of God to them for good. 

He beareth not the sword in vain} His power is delegated to him 
for the defence and encouragement of the good, and the punishment 
of the wicked: and he has authority to punish capitally, when the 
law so requires; this, the term sword leads us to infer. 

For hes a minister of God, a revenger] Qe dtaxovos esty exdxos, 
for he is God's vineictwe mister, to execute wrath; eis opyuv, to 
inflict punishment upou the transgressors of the law; and this accord- 
ing to the statutes of that law ; ior God’s civil ministers are never 
allowed to pronounce or inflict punishment according to their own 
minds or feelings; but according to the express declarations of the 


Verse 5. Ye must needs be subject] Avayxun, there is a necessity 
that ye should be subject, not only for wrath, die ray cpyav, on ac- 
count of the punishment which will be inflicted on evil doers, but 
also for conscience sake; uot only to avoid punishment, but also to 
preserve a clear conscience. For, as civil governmentis established 
in the order of God, for the support, defence, and happiness of socie- 
ty ; they who transgress its laws, not only expose themselves to the 
penalties assigned by the statutes, but also toguilt in their own con- 
sciences; because they sin against God. Here are two powerful 
motives to prevent the infraction of the laws, and to enforce obedi- 
ence. 1. The dread of punishment: this weighs with the ungodly. 
2. The keeping of a good conscience, which weighs powerfully with 
every person who fears God. These two motives should be fre- 
quently urged both among professors and profane. 

Verse 6. For this cause pay ye tribute also] Because civil govern- 
ment isan order of God, and the ministers of state must beat con~ 
siderable expense in providing for the safety and defence of the 
community; it is necessary that those in whose behalf these expenses 
are incurred, should defray that expense; and hence nothing can be 
more reasonable than an impartial and moderate taxation, by which 
the expenses of the state may be defrayed, and the various officers, 
whether civil cr military, who are employed for the service of the 


ROMANS.—CHAP. XHi. 289 


7 *Render therefore to all their dues ; tribute to whom 
tribute 7s due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom 
fear; honour to whom honour. 

8 Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for 
> he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. 


a Matt. 22.21. Mark 12.17. Luke 20. 25.—b Ver. 10. Gal. 5. 14. Col. 3.714. 
%., 1Tim.1.5. James 2. 8. 


public, be adequately remunerated. All this is just and right; but 
there is no insinuation in the apostle’s words in behalf of an extrava- 
gant and oppressive taxation, for the support of unprincipled and 
unnecessary wars: or the pensioning of corrupt or useless men. 
The taxes are to be paid for the support of those who are God’s 
ministers, the necessary civil officers, from the king downwards, 
who are attending conTinUALLY on this very thing. And let the 
reader observe, that by God’s ministers, are not meant here the 
ministers of religion, but the civil officers, in all departments of 
the state. 

Verse 7. Render, therefore, to all their dwes.| This is an extensive 
command. Be rigidly just: withhold neither from the king, nor his 
ministers, nor his officers of justice and revenue, nor from even the 
lowest of the community, what the laws of God and your country 
require you to pay. 

Tribute to wham tribute| opos+ this word probably means such 
taxes as were levied on persons and estates. 

Custom to whom custom] Téacs* this word probably means such 
duties as were laid upon goods, merchandize, &c. on imports, and ex- 
ports ; what we commonly call custom. Kypke on this place, has 
quoted some good authorities for the above distinction and signification. 
Both the words occur in the following quotation from Strabo, Aveyx» 
yup melouebas ra Taan, popwy extCurromevay ; if is necessary to 
lessen the CUSTOMS, if TAXES be'imposed. Strabo, lib.ii. page 307. 
See several other examples in Kypke. 

Fear to whom fear] It is likely that the word goCoy, which we trans- 
late fear, signifies that reverence which produces obedience. Treat 
all official characters with respect, and be obedient to your superiors. 

Honour to whom honour] The word vu», may here mean that 
outward respect which the principle reverence, from which it 
springs, will generally produce. Never behave rudely to any person ; 
but behave respectfully to men in office: if you cannot even respect : 
the man, for an important office may be filled by an unworthy per- 
son, respect the office, and the man on account of his office. If a 
man habituate himself to disrespect official characters, he will soon 
find himself disposed to pay little respect or obedience to the laws 
themselves. 

Verse 8. Owe nomanany thing, but to love one another} In the pre- 
ceding verses, the apostle has been showing the duty, reverence, ana 
obedience which all Christians, from the highest to the lowest, owe 

25 


290 ROMANS.—CHAP. XIII. 


9 For this, * Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt 
not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false 
witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other 
commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, 
namely, ° Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 

10 Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore 
© love is the fulfilling of the law. 

11 And that knowing the time, that now 7 is high time 
4to awake out of sleep; for now is our salvation nearer 
than when we believed. 


SSS 

a Exod. 20. 13, &c. Deut. 5. 17, &c. Matt. 19. 18.—bLey. 19.18. Matt. 22. 39. 
Mark 12, 31. Gal. 5. 14. James 2. 8.—c¢ Matt. 22.40. Ver.8.—d1 Cor. 15. 34. 
Eph. 5.14. 1Thess. 5. 5, 6 


to the civil magistrate; whether he be emperor, king, pro-consul, or 
other state officer; here, he shows them their duty to each other; 
but this is widely different from that which they owe to the civilgo- 
vernment; to the first. they owe subjection, reverence, obedience, 
and tribute; to the latter they owe nothing but mutual love, and 
those offices which necessarily spring from it. Therefore, the apos- 
tle says, owe no man; as if he had said, ye owe to your fellow- 
brethren, nothing but mutual love : and this is what i law, of God 
requires; andin this the law is fulfilled. Ye are not bound in obedi- 


ence to them as to the civil magistrate; for, to him ye must needs be 


subject, not merely for fear of ‘punishment, but for. conscience sake : 
but to these ye are bound by love: and by that love especially, which 
utterly prevents you from doing any thing by which a brother may 
sustain any kind of injury. 

Verse 9. For this, thou shalt not commit aduliers) He that loves 


another, will not deprive him of his wife, or his life, of his proper--_ 


ty, of his good name; and will not even permit a desire to enter into 
his heart which would lead him to wish to possess any thing that is 
the property of another : for the law, the Sacred Scripture, has ani 
Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 

It is remarkable, that ov sud omeprupucets, thou shalt not haonsialee 
witness, is wanting here in ABDEFG. and several other MSS. Gries- 
bach has left it out of the text. It is wanting also in the Syriac, and 
in several of the primitive Fathers. The generality a best cri- 
tics think it a spurious reading. vite 

Verse 10. Love worketh no ill] As he that loves another, will 
act towards that person, as, on a reverse of circumstances, he would 
that his neighbour should act towards him; therefore, this love can 


never work ill towards another ; and, on this head, i. e. the duty we — 


owe to our neighbour, love is the fulfilling of the law. a 

Verse 11. And that knowing the time} Dr.. Taylor has- given a 
judicious paraphrase of this and the following verses. “ And all the 
duties of a virtuous and holy life we should the more carefully and 


ROMANS.—CHAP. XIII. 294 


12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand: * let us — 
therefore cast off the works of darkness, and ° let us put on 
the armour of light. ; 

13 © Let us walk ‘honestly, as in the day ; not in riot- 


2 Eph. 5. 11. Col. 3. 8.—> Eph. 6.13. 1 Thess. 5. 8.— Phil. 4.8. 1 Thess. 4. 12. 
1 Pet. 2. 12.—4 Or, decently —e Prov. 23.20. Luke 21. 34. 1 Pet. 4. 3. 


zealously perform, considering the nature and shortness of the present 
season of life; which will convince us that it is now high time to 
rouse and shake off sleep; and apply with vigilance and vigour to 
the duties of our Christian life; for, that eternal salvation which is 

e object of our Christian faith and hope, and the great motive of 
our religion, is every day nearer to us, than when we first entered in- 
to the profession of Christianity.’’ 

Softfe think the passage should be understood thus: We have now 
many advantages which we did not formerly possess. Salvation is 
nearer; the whole Christian system is more fully explained, and the 
knowledge of it more easy to be acquired than formerly ; on which 
account, a greater progress in religious knowledge, and in practical 
piety, is required of us: and we have, for a long time, been too re- 
miss im these respects. Deliverance from the persecutions, &c. with 
which they were then afflicted, issupposed by others, to be the mean- 
ing of the apostle. 

Verse 12.. The night is far spent] If we understand this in re- 
ference to the heathen state of the Romans, it may be paraphrased 
thus : the night is far spent ; heathenish darkness is nearly at an end: 
the day is at hand ; the full manifestation of the Sun of Righteousness, 
in the illumination of the whole Gentile world, approaches rapidly. 
—The manifestation of the Messiah is regularly termed by the an- 
cient Jews, py yom, day, because previously to this all is night. Be- 
reshith Rabba, sect. 91. fol. 89. Cast off the works of darkness: pre- 
pare to meet this rising light, and welcome its approach ; by throw- . 
ing aside superstition, impiety, and vice of every kind: and put on 
_ the armour of light ; fully receive the heavenly teaching, by which 
your spirits will be as completely-armed against the attacks of evil, 
as your bodies could be by the best weapons and impenetrable ar- 
mour. This sense seems most suitable to the following verses, where 
the vices of the Gentiles are particularly specified ; and they are ex- 
horted to abandon them, and to receive the Gospel of Christ. The 
common method of explanation is this; the night is far spent; our 
present imperfect life, full of afflictions, temptations, and trials, is 
almost run out; the day of eternal blessedness is at hand, is about te 
dawn on us in our glorious resurrection unto eternal life. Therefore, 
let us cast off, let us live as candidates for this eternal glory. But 
this sense cannot at all comport with what is said below ; as the Gen- 
tiles are most evidently intended. * 

Verse 13. Let us walk honestly as in the day] Let us walk, <v- 
oxnpavac, decently, from eu, well, and syxu2, mien, habit, or dress. 


=, Lutt LM 


299 ROMANS.—CHAP. XIII. 


ing and drunkenness, * not in chambering and wantonness, 
>not in strife and envying. 

14 But * put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and “make 
not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof. 


a1 Cor.6.9. Eph. 5. 5.—b James 3. 14.—c.Gal. 3.27. Eph. 4.24. Col. 3. 10,— 
4Gal. 5.16. 1Pet. 2.11. 


Let our deportment be decent, orderly, ang 1 grave ; such as we shall 
not be ashamed of in the eyes of the whole world. 


Not in rioting and drunkenness] My xapects xatpcbasss Kaeo, ri- 
oting, according to Hesychius, signifies, agsAyn acuara, mopyae 
cupmocia, wdat, unclean and dissolute songs; banquets, and such 
like. MeQasc, signifies drunken festivals, such as were celebrated in 
honour of their gods: when after they had sacrificed (aera co Ousiv, 
Surpas,) they drank to excess, accompanied with abominable acts of 
every kind. See Suidas and Hesychius, under this word. 

Not in chambering| This is no legitimate word, and conveys no 
sense till, from its connexion in this place, we force a meaning upon 
it. The original word xosrais, signifies whoredoms, and prostitution 
of every kind. 

And wantonness}) Aceryerass, all manner of uncleanness, and so- 
domitical practices. ¥: 

Not in strife and envying.| Mu epids xas Cyaw, not in contentions 
and furious altercations, which must be the consequence of such 
practices as are mentioned above. Can any man suppose that this 
address is to the Christians at Rome? That they are charged with 
practices almost peculiar to the heathens? And practices of the 
most abandoned and dissolute sort? If those called Christians at 
Rome were guilty of such acts, there could be no difference, except 
in profession, between them and the most abominable of the hea- 
thens. But it is impossible that such things should be spoken to the 

followers of Christ ; for the very grace that brings repentance enables 
the penitent to cast aside and abominate all such corrupt and vicious 
conduct. 

The advices to the Christians may be found in the preceding chap- 
ter ; those at the conclusion of this chapter belong solely to the 
heathens. 

Verse 14. Put ye on the Lord Jesus} This isin reference to what ~ 
is said ver. 13. Let us put on decent garments; let us make a differ- 
ent profession, unite with other company; and maintain that profes- 
sion by a suitable conduct. Putting on, or being clothed with Jesus 
Christ, signifies receiving and believing the Gospel ; and, conse- 
quently, taking its maxims for the government of life : having the 
mind that was in Christ. The ancient Jews frequently use the 
phrase, putting on the Shechinah, or Divine Majesty, to signify the 
soul’s being clothed with immortality, and rendered fit for glory. 

To be clothed with a person, is a Greek phrase, signifying to as- 
sume the interests of another, to enter into his views, to imitate him, 


-ROMANS.—CHAP. XIII. 293 


and be wholly onhis side. St. Chrysostom particularly mentions this 
as a common phrase, 6 detve tov detya eveducaro, such a one hath put 
on such a one; i.e. he closely follows and imitates him. So Diony- 
sius Hal. Antiq. lib. xi. page 689. speaking of Appius, and the rest of 
the Decemviri, says, éuzert merpiaCovres, arrw Tov Tagxuvioy exetvoy 
evdvomrevoz, They were no longer the servants of Tarquin, but they cio- 
THED THEMSELVES WITH HIM: they imitated and aped him in eve- 
ry thing. Eusebius, in his life of Constantine, says the same of his 
sons, they put on their father; they seemed to enter into his spirit 
and views, and to imitate him in all things. The mode of speech 
itself is taken from the custom of stage players; they assumed the 
name and garments of the person whose character they were to act; 
and endeavoured as closely as possible to imitate him in their spirit, 
words, and actions. See many pertinent examples in Kypke. 

And make not provision for the flesh] By flesh we are here to un- 
derstand, not only the body, but all the irregular appetites and pas- 
sions which led to the abominations already recited. No provision 
should be made for the encouragement and gratification of such a 
principle as this. ‘ 

To fulfil the lusts thereof.] Ets extOugzas, in reference to iis lusts ; 
such as the xamoz, xorrat, wedas, and accayeiat, rioting, drunken- 
ness, prostitutions, and uncleanness, mentioned ver. 13. to make pro- 
vision for which the Gentiles lived and laboured, and bought and 
sold, and schemed and planned; for it was the whole business of 
their life to gratify the sinful lusts of the flesh. Their philosophers 
taught them little else ; and the whole circle of their deities, as well 
as the whole scheme of their religion, served only to excite and in- 
flame such passions, and produce such practices. 


I. In these four last verses there is a fine metaphor, and it is con- 
tinued and well sustained in every expression. 1. The apostle con- 
siders the state of the Gentiles under the notion of night: a time of 
darkness, and a time of evil practices. 2. That this night is nearly 
at an end, the night is far spent. 3. He considers the Gospel as now 
visiting the Gentiles, and the light of a glorious day about to shine 
forth on them. 4. He calls those to awake who were in a stupid, 
senseless state, concerning all spiritual and moral good ; and those 
who were employed in the vilest practices that could debase and de- 
grade mankind. 5. He orders them to cast off the works of dark- 
ness, and put on the armour, oad, the habiliments of light, of 
righteousness: to cease to do evil: to learn to do well. Here is an 
allusion to laying aside the night-clothes ; and putting on their day- 
clothes. 6. He exhorts them to this, that they may walk honestly, 
eurxnmevas, decenily habited ; and not spend their time, waste their 
substance, destroy their lives, and ruin their souls, in such iniquitous 
practices as those which he immediately specifies. 7. That they 
might not mistake his meaning concerning the decent clothing which 
he exhorts them to walk in, he immediately explains himself by the 
use of a common form of speech, and says, still following his meta- 
phor, “put on the Lord Jesus Christ: receive his doctrine, copy his 

25* 


294 ROMANS.—CHAP. XIU. 


example, and seek the things which belong to another life; for the 
Gentiles thought of little else than making povision for the flesh or 
body, to gratify its animal desires and propensities, 

II. These last verses have been rendered famous in the Christian 
church, for more than 1400 years, as being the instrument of the 
conversion of St. Augustin. It is well known that this man was, 
at first, a Manichean, in which doctrine he continued till the 32d 
year of his age:—he had frequent conferences and controversies 
on the Christian religion with several friends, who were Christians ; 
and with his mother Monica, who was incessant in her prayers and 
tears for his conversion. She was greatly comforted by the assu- 
rance given her by St. Ambrose, bishop of Milan, where her son 
Augustin was then professor of rhetoric; that a child of so many 
prayers and tears could not perish. He frequently heard St. Am- 
brose preach, and was affected not only by his eloquence, but by the 
important subjects which he discussed ; but still could not abandon 
his Manicheanism. Walking one day in a garden with his friend 
Alypius, who it appears had been reading a copy of St. Paul’s Epis- 
tle to the Romans, and had left it on a bank near which they then 
were, (though some say that Augustin was then alone,) he thought 
he heard a musical voice calling out distinctly, TOLLE ef LEGE! 
TOLLE ef LEGE! take up and read! take up and read! He looked 
down, saw the book, took it up, and hastily opening it, the first 
words that met his eye were these, Mn xmsote was paoSaec, Sc. Not 
in rioting and drunkenness, &c. but put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ. 
He felt the import and power of the words, and immediately resol- 
ved to become a follower of Christ: he, in consequence, instantly 
embraced Christianity ; and afterward boldly professed and wrote 
largely in its defence ; and became one of the most eminent of all 
the Latin fathers. Such is the substance of the story handed down 
to us from antiquity, concerning the conversion of St. Augustin. He 
was made bishop of Hippo, in Africa, in the year 395, and died in 
a city Aug. 28, 430, at the very time that it was besieged by the 

jandals. 

Ill. After what I have said in the notes, I need add nothing on the 
great political question of subordination te the civil powers; and of 
the propriety and expediency of submitting to every ordinance of man 

for the Lord’s sake. 1 need only observe, that it is in things,civil 
this obedience is enjoined: in things religious, God alone is to be 
obeyed. Should the civil power attempt to usurp the ast of the 
Almighty, and forge a new creed, or prescribe rites and c onies 
not authorized by the word of God; no Christian is bound to obey. 
Yet, even in this case, as I have already noted, no Christian is au- 
thorized to rebel against the civil power; he must bear the 
cution; and, if needs be, seal the truth with his blood; and thus 
become a martyr of the Lord Jesus. This has been the invariable ~ 
practice of the genuine church of Christ. They committed,their 


cause to Him who judgeth righteously. See farther on this subject 
on Matt. xxii. 20, &c. 


ROMANS.—CHAP, XIV. 295 
CHAPTER XIV. 


Tn things indifferent, Christians should not condemn each other, 1. Particu- 
larly with respect to different kinds of food, 2—4. And the observation of 
‘certain days, 5,6. None of us should live unto himself, but unto Christ, 
who lived and died for us, 7—9. We must not judge each other; for all 
judgment belongs to God, 10—13. We should not do any thing by which 
a weak brother may be stumbled or grieved; lest we destroy him for 
whom Christ died, 14—16. The kingdom of God does not consist in out- 
ward things, 17, 18. Christians should endeavour to cultivate peace and 
brotherly affection, and rather deny themselves of certain privileges, than 
be the means of stumbling a weak brother, 19—21, The necessity of do- 
ing all in the spirit of faith, 22, 23. 


WW IM that *is weak in the faith receive ye, but ° not to 
A doubtful disputations. 


aCh. 15.1,7. 1 Cor. 8. 9, 11. & 9. 22.—b Or, not to judge his doubtful thoughts. 


NOTES ON CHAPTER XIV. 


It seems very likely, from this, and the following chapter, that 
there were considerable misunderstandings between the Jewish and 
Gentile Christians at Rome, relative to certain customs which were 
sacredly observed by the one, and disregarded by the other. The 
principal subject of dispute was, concerning meats and days. The 
converted Jew, retaining a veneration for the law of Moses, ab- 
stained from certain meats, and was observant of certain days; 
while the converted Gentile, understanding that the Christian reli- 
gion laid him under no obligations to such ceremonial points, had no 
regard to either. It appears farther, that mutual censures, and un- 
charitable judgments, prevailed among them; and that brotherly 
love, and mutual forbearance, did not generally prevail. The apos- 
tle, in this part of his epistle, exhorts, that in such things, not essen- 
tial to religion; and in which both parties, in their different way of 
thinking, might have an honest meaning, and serious regard to God, 
difference of sentiments might not hinder Christian fellowship and 
love: but that they would mutually forbear each other, make can- 
did allowance, and especially not carry their Gospel liberty so far 
as to prejudice a weak brother, a Jewish Christian, against the 
Gospel itself, and tempt him to renounce Christianity. His rules 
and exhortations are still of great use ; and happy would the Chris- 
tian world be, if they were more generally practised. See Dr. 
Taylor, who farther remarks, that it is probable St. Paul learnt all 
these particulars from Aquila and Priscilla, who were lately come 
from Rome. Acts xviii. 2, 3. and with whom the apostle was fami- 
liar for a considerable time. This is very likely, as there is no eyi- 
dence that he had any other intercourse with the church at Rome. 


Verse 1. Him that is weak in the faith] By this the apostle most 
evidently means the converted Jew: who must indeed be weak in 
the faith, if he considered this distinction of meats and days essential 
to his salvation.—See on ver. 21. 


: = ee 
296 ROMANS.—CHAP. XIV. 


2 For one believeth that he *may eat all things: ano- 
ther, who is weak eateth herbs. 

3 Let not him that eateth, despise him that eateth not : 
and > let not him which eateth not, judge him that eateth : 
for God hath received him. : i 

4 Who art thou that judgest another man’s servant ? to 


aVer. 14. 1Cor 10.25. 1Tim.4.4. Tit. 1. 15.—b Col. 2. 16.—c James 4. 12. 


Receive ye] Associate with him : receive him into your religious 
fellowship; but when there let all religious altercations be avoided. 

Not to doubtful disputations.] Mu etc dtaxeicers diaroyicuay’ 
These words have been variously translated and understood: Dr. 
Whitby thinks the sense of them to be this, Wot discriminating them 
by their inward thoughts. Do not reject any from your Christian 
communion, because of their particular sentiments on things which 
are in themselves indifferent. Do not curiously inquire into their 
religious scruples, nor condemn them on that account. Entertain 
a brother of this kind rather with what may profit his soul, than 
with curious disquisitions on speculative points of doctrine. A good 
lesson for modern Christians in general. 

Verse 2. One believeth that he may eat all things] He believes 
that whatsoever is wholesome and nourishing, whether herbs or 
flesh, whether enjoined or forbidden by the Mosaic law, may be 
safely and conscientiously used by every Christian. 

Another, who is weak, catcth herbs] Certain Jews lately converted 
to the Christian faith, and having as yet little knowledge of its doc- 
trines, believe the Mosaic law relative to the clean and unclean 
meats, to be still in force ; and therefore, when they are in a Gentile 
country, for fear of being defiled, avoid flesh entirely, and live on 
vegetables. And a Jew, when in a heathen country, acts thus, be- 
cause he cannot tell whether the flesh which is sold in the market, 
may be of a clean or unclean beast; whether it may not have been 
offered to an idol: or whether the blood may have been taken pro- 
perly from it. 2 

Verse 3. Let not him that eateth] The Gentile, who eats flesh, 
despise him, the Jew, who eateth not flesh, but herbs. And let not 
him, the Jew, that eateth not, indiscriminately judge, condemn him, 
the Gentile, that eateth indiscriminately flesh or vegetables. 

For God hath received him.] Both being sincere and upright, and 
acting in the fear of God, are received as heirs of eternal life, with- 
out any difference on account of these religious scruples or prejudices. 

Verse 4. Who art thou that judgest another man’s servant ?]| Who 
has ever given thee the right to condemn the servant of another _ 
man, in things pertaining to his own master? Jv his own master he 
standeth or falleth. He, not thou, is to judge him; thy intermed- 
dling in this business, is both rash and uncharitable. 

Yea, he shall be holden up} He is sincere and upright; and Ged 


ROMANS.—CHAP. XIV. 297 


his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be 
holden up: for God is able to make him stand. 

6 *One man esteemeth one day above another; another 
esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be ” fully per- 
suaded in his own mind. ‘ 

6 He that ‘regardeth ‘the day, regardeth « unto the 


a Gal. 4.10. Col. 2. 16.—b Or, fully assured.—c Gal. 4. 10.—4 Or, observeth. 


who is able to make him stand, will uphold him; and so teach him, 
that he shall not essentially err. And it is the will of God that such 
upright though scrupulous persons, should be continued members 
of his church. 

Verse 5, One man esteemeth one day above another] Perhaps the 
word seeay, day, is here taken for time, festival, and such like: in 
which sense it is frequently used. Reference is made here to the 
Jewish institutions, and especially their festivals; such as the pass- 
over, pentecost, feast of tabernacles, new moons, jubilee, &c. The 
converted Jew still thought these of moral obligation; the Gentile 
Christian, not having been bred up in this way, had no such preju- 
dices. And as those who were the instruments of bringing him to 
the knowledge of God, gave him no such injunctions, consequently, 
he paid to these no religious regard. 

Another| The converted Gentile, esteemeth every day; considers 
that all time is the Lord’s; and that each day should be devoted to 
the glory of God: and that those festivals are not binding on him. 

We add here alike, and make the text say, what I am sure was 
never intended, viz. that there isno distinction of days, not even of the 
Sabbath ; and that every Christian is at liberty to consider even this 
day to be holy or not holy, as he happens to be persuaded in his own 
mind. 

That the Sabbath is of lasting obligation may be reasonably con- 
cluded from its institution : see the note on Genesis ii. 3. and from 
its typical reference. All allow that the Sabbath is a type of that 
rest in glory which remains for the people of God. Now, all types 
are intended to continue in full force till the antitype, or thing signi- 
fied, take place ; consequently, the Sabbath will continue in force 
till the consummation of all things. The word alike should not be 
added ; nor is it acknowledged by any MS. or ancient version. 

Let every man be fully persuaded] With respect to the propriety 
or non-propriety of keeping the above festivals, let every man act 
from the plenary conviction of his own mind: there is a sufficient 
latitude allowed: all may be fully satisfied. 

Verse 6. He that regardeth the day} A beautiful apology for mis- 
taken sincerity, and injudicious reformation. Do not condemn the 
man for what is indifferent in itself: if he keep these festivals, his 
purpose is to honour God by the religious observance of them. On 
the other hand, he who finds that he cannot observe them in honour 


298 ROMANS.—CHAP. XIV. 


Lord ; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he 
doth not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for 
4 he giveth God thanks ; and he that eateth not, to the 
Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks. ‘ 

7 For ° none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to 
himself. 

8 For whether we live, we live unto the Lord: and 
whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live 
therefore, or die, we are the Lord’s. 

9 For ©to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revi- 
ved, that he might be ¢ Lord both of the dead and living. 

10 But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost 


21 Cor. 10. 31. 1 Tim, 4. 3.—b1 Cor. 6. 19, 20. Gal. 2. 20. 1 Thess. 5.10. 1 Pet. 
4, 2,—c 2 Cor. 5. 15.— Acts 10. 36. ; 


of God, not believing that God has enjoined them; he does not ob- 
serve them at all. In like manner, he that eateth any creature of 
God, which is wholesome and proper for food, gives thanks to God, 
as the author of all good. And he who cannot eat of all indiscrimi- 
nately, but is regulated by the precepts in the Mosaic law, relative 
to clean and unclean meats, also gives God thanks. Both are sin- 
cere; both upright; both act according to their light; God accepts 
both : and they should bear with each other. 

Verse 7. None of us liveth to himself| The Greek writers use the 
phrase aur Cny, to signify acting according to one’s own judgment, 
following one’s own opinion. Christians must act in all things accor- 
ding to the mind and will of God, and not follow their own wills. 
The apostle seems to intimate, that in all the above cases, each must 
endeavour to please God; for be is accountable to him alone for his 
conduct in these indifferent things. God is our Master, we must 
live to him; as we live under his notice, and by his -bounty ; and 
when we cease to live among men, we are still in hishand. There- 
fore, what we do, or what we leave undone, should be in reference 
to that eternity which is ever at hand. 

Verse 9. Christ both died and rose| That we are not our own, 
but are the Lord’s both in life and death, is evident from this, that 
Christ lived and died, and rose again, that he might be the Lord of 
the dead and the living; for his power extends equally over both 
worlds: separate as well as embodied spirits are under his au- 
thority ; and he it is who is to raise even the dead to life: and thus 
all, throughout eternity, shall live under his dominion. 

The clause xa: avesn, and rose, is wanting in several reputable 
MSS. and certainly is not necessary to the text. Griesbach omits 
the words, and réads axredave nas e2ncev, died, and lived; of which 
professor White says, lectio indubié genuina; ‘this reading is indis. 
putably genuine.” 


ROMANS.—CHAP. XIV. 299 


thou set at nought thy brother? for * we shall all stand 
before the judgment seat of Christ. 

11 For it is written, ».4s I live, saith the Lord, every 
knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to 
God. 

12 So then ‘every one of us shall give account of him- 
self to God. 

13 Let us not, therefore, judge one another any more: 
but judge this rather, that ¢ no man put a stumblingblock, 
or an occasion to fall in his brother’s way. 

14 I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, © that 


a Matt. 25. 31, 32. Acts 10. 42. & 17. 31. 2Cor. 5.10. Jude 14, 15.—b Isai. 45. 23. 
© Phil. 2. 10.—d Matt. 12. 36. Gal.6.5. 1Pet. 4. 5.—e1 Cor. 8. 9,13. & 10. 32.— 
Acts 10. 15. Ver. 2. 20. 1 Cor. 10.25. 1 Tim. 4.4. Tit. 1.15. 


SS 

Verse 10. But why dost thou] Christian Jew, observing the rites 
ef the Mosaic law: jadge, condemn thy brother, Christian Gentile, 
who does not think himself bound by this law? 

Or why dost thou] Christian Gentile, set at nought thy Christian 
Jewish brother, as if he were unworthy of thy regard, because he 
does not yet believe that the Gospel has set him free from the rites 
and ceremonies of the law? 

It is a true saying of Mr. Heylin, on this verse; the superstitious, 
are prone to judge; and those who are not superstitious, are prone 
to despise. 

We shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ] Why should 
we then judge and condemn each other? We are accountable to 
God for our conduct, and shall be-judged at his bar; and let us 
consider that whatever measure we mete, the same shall be mea- 
sured unto us again. 

Verse 12. Every one of us shall give account of himself.| We shall 
not, at the bar of God, be obliged to account for the conduct of each 
other—each shall give account of himself: and let him take heed 
that he be prepared to give up his accounts with joy. 

Verse 13. Let us not, therefore, judge one another any more] Let 
us abandon such rash conduct; it is dangerous; it is uncharitable : 
judgment belongs to the Lord, and he will condemn those only, who 
should not be acquitted. 

That no man put a stumblingblock] Let both the converted Jew 
and Gentile consider, that they shovid labour.to promote each 
other’s spiritual interests; and not be a means of hindering each 
other in their Christian course: or of causing them to abandon the 
Gospel, on which, and not on questions of rites and ceremonies, the 
salvation of their souls depends. 

Verse 14. I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus] After 
reasoning so long and so much with these contending parties, on the 
subject of their mutual misunderstandings: without attempting to 


300 ROMANS.—CHAP, XIV. 


there ts nothing * unclean of” itself: but to him that es- 
teemeth any thing to be * unclean, to him it is unclean. 

15 But if thy brother be grieved with thy meat, now 
walkest thou not ‘charitably. © Destroy not him with thy 
meat, for whom Christ died. 


2 Gr. common.— 1 Cor. 8. 7, 10.—c Gr. common.—d Gr. according te charity.— 
e€ 1 Cor. 8. 11. 


give any opinion, but merely to show them the folly and uncharita- 
bleness of their conduct; he now expresses himself fully, and tells 
them that nothing is unclean of itself, and that he has the inspiration 
and authority of Jesus Christ to say so; for to such an inspiration he 
must refer in such words as, I know, and am persuaded by the Lord 
Jesus. And yet, after having given them this decisive judgment, 
through respect to the tender, mistaken conscience of weak belie- 
vers, he immediately adds, But to him that esteemeth any thing to be 
unclean, to him it is unclean; because if he act contrary to his con- 
science, he must necessarily contract guilt; for he who acts in oppo- 
sition to his conscience in one case, may do it in another; and thus 
even the plain declarations of the word of God may be set aside on 
things of the utmost mportance, as well as the erroneous, though 
well-intentioned dictates of his conscience, on matters which he 
makes of the last consequence; though others, who are better taught, 
know them to be indifferent. 

It is dangerous to trifle with conscience, even when erroneous ; it 
should be borne with and instructed ; it must be won over, not taken 
by storm. Its feelings should be respected, because they ever refer 
to God, and have their foundation in his fear. He who sins against 
his conscience in things which every one else knows to be indiffer- 
ent, will soon do it in those things in which his salvation is most inti- 
mately concerned. It isa great blessing to have a well-informed 
conscience ; it is a blessing to have a tender conscience, and even 
a sore conscience is infinitely better than none. 

Verse 15. If thy brother be grieved] If he think that thou dost 
wrong, and he is in consequence, stumbled at thy conduct. 

Now walkest thou not charitably] Kare eyamnv, according to love ; 
for, love worketh no ill to its neighbour; but by thy eating some par- 
ticular kind of meat, on which neither thy life, nor well-being de- 
pend: thou workest ill to him by grieving and distressing his mind ; 
and therefore thou breakest the law of God in reference to him, 
while pretending that thy Christian liberty raises thee above his 
scruples. | 

Destroy not him with thy meat for whom Christ died] This puts 
the uncharitable conduct of the person in question in the strongest 
light; because it supposes that the weak brother may be so stumbled 
as to fall and perish finally ; even the man for whom Christ died. To 
injure a man in his circumstances is bad; to injure him in his per- 
son is worse; to injure him in his reputation is still worse; and 


ROMANS.—CHAP. XIV. 301 


16 * Let not then your good be evil spoken of : 

17 ° For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink ; but 
righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. 

18 For, he that in these things serveth Christ °is ac- 
ceptable to God, and approved of men. 


4Ch. 12. 17.—>1 Cor. 8. 8.—¢2 Cor. 8. 21. 


to injure hissoul is worst of all. No wickedness, no malice, can go 
farther than to injure and destroy the soul: thy uncharitable con- 
duct may proceed thus far; therefore thou art highly criminal be- 
fore God. 

From this verse we learn that a man for whom Christ died may 
perish, or have his soul destroyed; and destroyed with such a de- 
struction as implies perdition. The original is very emphatic, “x»— 
cxetvoy A7OAAUE, UrEg ov Xessoc amebaye, Christ died in his stead ; do 
not destroy his soul The sacrificial death is as strongly expressed as 
it can be; and there is no word in the New Testament that more 
forcibly implies efernal ruin, than the verb a7ca,va@, from which is 
derived the most significant name of the Devi/, 6 Awcaauay, the DE- 
STROYER, the great universal murderer of souls. 

Verse 16. Let not then your good be evil spoken of] Do not make 
such a use of your Christian liberty as to subject the Gospel itself te 


reproach. Whatsoever you do, do it in such a manner, spirit, and~ 


time, as to make it productive of the greatest possible good. There 
are many who have such an unhappy method of doing their good 
acts, as not only to do little or no good by them, but a great deal of 
evil. It requires much prudence and watchfulness to find out the 
proper time of performing even a good action. 

Verse 17. For the kingdom of God] That holy religion which 
God has sent from heaven, and which he intends to make the instru- 
ment of establishing a counter part of the kingdom of glory among 
men: see on Matt. iii. 2. 

Is not meat and drink] It consists not in these outward and indif- 
ferent things. [It neither particularly enjoins, nor particularly for- 
bids such. 

But righteousness] Pardon of sin, and holiness of heart and life. 

And peace| {n the soul, from a sense of God’s mercy; peace re- 
gulating, ruling, and harmonizing the heart. 

And joy in the Holy Ghost} Solid, spiritual happiness: a joy 
which springs from a clear sense of God’s mercy; the love of God 
being shed abroad in the heart by the Holy Ghost. Ina word, it is 
a happiness brought into the soul by the Holy Spirit, and maintained 
there by the same influence. This is a genuine counterpart of hea- 
ven; righteousness without sin, peace without inward disturbance, 
joy without any kind of mental agony, or distressing fear. See the 
note on Matt. iii. 2. 

Verse 18. For, he that in these things] The man, whether Jew 
or Gentile, who in these things, righteousness, peace, and joy In the 

26 


302 ROMANS.—CHAP. »XIV. 

19 * Let us therefore follow after the things whieh make 
for peace, and things wherewith ” one may edify another. 

20 ° For meat, destroy not the work of God. ¢ All things 
indeed are pure ; © but tt zs evil for that man who eateth 
with offence. 

21 It is good neither to eat ‘ flesh, nor to drink wine, nor 


“a Psa. 34, 14. Ch. 12, 18.—b Ch. 15. 2. 1 Cor. 14. 12. 1 Thess. 5. 11.—c Ver.15.— Matt 
15. Ch. 11. Acts 10.15. Ver. 14. Tit. 1. 15.—g 1 Cor. 8.9, 10, 11, 12.—b 1 Cor. 8.13. 


Holy Ghost, serveth Christ, acts according to his doctrine, is accept+: 
able to God, for he has not only the form of godliness in thus serving 
Christ, but he has the power, the very spirit and essence of it, in ~ 
having righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost; and 
therefore the whole frame of his mind, as well as his acts, must be 
acceptable to God.—And approved of men; for although religion: 
may be persecuted, yet the righteous man, who is continually labour- 
ing for the public good, will be generally esteemed. This was a 
very common form of speech among the Jews; that he who was a 
conscientious observer of the law, was pleasing to God, and appro- 
ved of men.—See several examples in Schoettgen, any 

Verse 19. Let us therefore follow] Far from contending about 
meats, drinks, and festival times, in which it is not likely that the 
Jews and Gentiles will soon agree; let us endeavour to the utmost 
of our power, to promote peace and unanimity, that we may be 
instrumental in edifying each other; in promoting religious know- 
‘ledge and piety, instead of being stumblingblocks in each other’s 
way. 

Verse 20. For meat, destroy not the work of God] Do uot hinder 
the progress of the Gospel, either in your own souls, or in those of 
others, by contending about lawful or unlawful meats. And do not 
destroy the soul of thy Christian brother, ver. 15. by,offending him 
so as to induce him to apostatize. 

All things indeed are pure] This is a repetition of the sentiment 

delivered, ver. 14. in different words. Nothing that is proper for ali- 
ment, is unlawful to be eaten: but it is evil for that man who eateth 
with offence; the man who either eats contrary to his own con- 
science, or so as to grieve and stumble another, does an evil act; and 
however lawful the thing may be in itself, his conduct does not please 
God. ; 
Verse 21. It is good* neither to eat flesh, &c.] The spirit and 
self-denying principles of the Gospel teach us, that we should not 
only avoid every thing in eating or drinking which may be an occa~- 
sion of offence or apostasy to our brethren, but even to lay down our 
lives for them, should it be necessary. 

Whereby thy brother stumbleth] Upocxomeet, from reos, against, 
and xorra, to strike, to hil the foot against a stone in walking, so as 
to halt, and be impeded in one’s journey. ‘It here meaus spiritually, 
any thing by which a man is so perplexed in his mind, as to be pre- 


ROMANS.—CHAP. XIV. 303. 


any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, 
or is made wevk. 

22 Hast thou faith ? have zt to thyself before God. * Hap- 
py #s he that condemneth not himself in that thing which 
he alloweth. 


a1 John 3. 21. 


vented from making due progress in the divine life. Any thing by 
which he is caused to halt, to be indecisive, and undetermined ; and 
under such an influence no man has ever yet grown in grace, and in 
the knowledge of Jesus Christ. 

Or is offended] H cxavdaasCeras, from cxavdzaov, a stumbling- 
block ; any thing by which a person is caused to fail, especially into 
asnare, trap, orgin. Originally the word signified the piece of wood, 
or key inatrap, which being trodden on, caused the animal to fall 
into a pit, or the trap to close upon him. In the New Testament it 
generally refers to total apostasy from the Christian religion, and this 
appears to be its meaning in this place. 

Or is made weak.| H ao Geves, from a, negative, and cbevor, strength, 
without mental vigour; without power suificiently to distinguish be 
tween right and wrong, good and evil, lawful and unlawful. To get 
under the dominion of an erroneous conscience, so as to judge that to 
be evil or unlawful which is not so. The two last terms are omitted 
by two excellent MSS. (the Codex Alexandrinus and the Codex 
Ephraim,) by the Syriac of Erpen, the Coptic and the Atthiopic, 
and by some of the primitive Fathers. It is very likely that they were 
added by some early hand by way of illustration. Griesbach has left 
them in the text with a vote of doubtfulness. 

Verse 22. Hast thou faith] The term faith seems to signify, in 
this place, a full persuasion in a man’s mind that he is right, that 
what he does is lawful, and has the approbation of God and his con- 
science. Dr. Taylor has a judicious note on this passage. ‘* There 
is no necessity,’’ says he, ‘ for reading the first clause interrogative- 
ly; and it seems to be more agreeable to the structure of the Greek, 
to render it, thou hast faith; asif he had said, ‘1 own thou hasta . 
right persuasion.” Farther, there is an anadiplosis in exess, and exe 
the first simply signifies thou hast, the latter, hold fast. Thou hasta 
right persuasion concerning thy Christian liberty ; and J advise thee 
to hold that persuasion steadfastly, with respect to thyself, in the 
sight of God. Ex, have, has frequently this emphatical signification. 
See Matt. xxv. 29,’ &c. 

Happy is he that condemneth not, &c.] That man only can enjoy 
peace of conscience who acts according to the full persuasion which 
God has given him of the lawfulness of his conduct ; whereas, he 
must be miserable who allows himself in the practice of avy thing for 
which his conscience upbraids and accuses him. This is a most ex- 
cellent maxim, and every genuine Christian should be careful to try 
every part of his conduct by it. If a man have not peace in his own 


304 ROMANS.—CHAP. XIV. 


23 And he that * doubteth is damned if he eat, because 
he eateth not of faith : for > whatsoever zs not of faith is sin. 


a Or, discerneth and putteth a difference between meats.—> Tit. 1. 15. 


bosom, he cannot be happy; and no man can have peace who sins 
against his conscience. Ifa man’s passions or appetite allow or insti- 
gate him to a particular thing, let him take good heed that his con- 
science approve what his passions allow: and that he live not the 
subject of continual self-condemnation and reproach. Even the man 
who had the too scrupulous conscience, had better, in such matters 
as are in question, obey its erroneous dictates, than violate this moral 
psa and live only to condemn the actions he is constantly per- 
orming. ; 

Verse 23. And he that doubteth] This verse is a necessary part 
of the preceding, and should be read thus, But he that doubteth is 
condemned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith. The meaning is 
sufficiently plain. He that feeds on any kind of meats prohibited by 
the Mosaic law, with the persuasion in his mind that he may be 
wrong in so doing, is condemned by his conscience for doing that 
which he has reason to think God has forbidden. 

For whatsoever is not of faith is sin.| Whatever he does, without 
a full persuasion of its lawfulness, (see ver. 22.) is to him sin, for he 
does it under a conviction that he may be wrong in so doing. There- 
fore, if he make a distinction in his own conscience between different 
kinds of meats, and yet eats of all indifferently, he is a sinner before 
God; because he eats either through false shame, base compliance, 
or an unbridled appetite ; and any of these is, in itself, a sin against 
the sincerity, ingenuousness, and self-denying principles of the Gos- 
pel of Christ. 

Some think that these words have a more extensive signification, 
and that they apply to all who have not true religion and faith in our 
Lord Jesus Christ ; every work of such persons being sinful in the 
sight of a holy God, because it does not proceed from a pure motive. | 
On this ground our church says, Artic. xiii. Works done before 
the grace of Christ, and the inspiration of his Spirit, are not pleasant 
to God, forasmuch as they are not of faith in Jesus Christ; yea, for 
that they are not done as God hath willed and commanded them to 
be done, we doubt not but they have the nature of sin.”’ To this 
we may add, that without faith it is impossible to please God ; every 
thing is wrong where this principle is wanting. 

There are few readers who have not remarked that the three last 
verses of this epistle, (chap. xvi. 25, 26, 27.) appear to stand in their 
present place without any obvious connexion ; and apparently after 
the epistle is concluded. And it is well known to critics, that two 
MSS. in uncial letters, the Cod. A. and I. with upwards of 100 
others, together with the Slavonic, the latter Syriac and Arabic, add 
those verses at the end of the 14th chapter. The transposition is ac- 
knowledged by Cyril, Chrysostom, Theodoret, CZcumenins, Theo- 


ROMANS.—CHAP, XV. 305 


phylact, Theodulus, Damascenus, and Tertullian, see Wetstein. 
Griesbach inserts them at the end of this chapter as their proper 
place ; and most learned men approve of this transposition. It may 
be necessary to repeat the words here, that the reader may see with 
what propriety they connect with the subject which terminates the 
fourteenth chapter as it now stands. Chap. xiy. ver. 23. And he 
that doubteth is condemned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith ; 
Sor whatsoever is not of faith is sin. 

Chap. xvi. ver. 25. Vow lo him that is of power to stablish you accord- 
ing to my Gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, (according tothe. 
revelation of the mystery which was kept secret since the world began. 

Verse 26. But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the 
prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made 
known to all nations for the obedience of faith ;) 

Verse 27. To God only wise be glory through Jesus Christ for 
ever. Amen. Chap. xv.1. We then that are strong, ought to bear 
the infirmities of the weak, &c. 

These words certainly connect better with the close of the 14th 
chapter, and the beginning of the 15th, than they do with the con- 
clusion of the 16th, where they are now generally found: but I shall 
defer my observations upon them till I come to that place, with only 
this remark, that the stablishing, mentioned chap. xiv. ver. 25. cor- 
responds well with the doubting, chap. xiv. ver. 23. and indeed the 
whole matter of these verses agrees so well with the subject so large- 
ly handled in the preceding chapter, that there can be very little 
doubt of their being in their proper place, if joined to the end of 
this chapter, as they are in the preceding MSS. and Versions. 


CHAPTER XV. 


The strong should bear the infirmities of the weak, and each-strive to 
please, not himself, but his neighbour, after the example of Christ, 1—3. 
Whatsoever was written in old times, was written for our learning, 4. 
We should be of one mind, that we might, with one mouth, glorify God, 
5, 6. We should accept each other as Christ has accepted us, 7. Scrip- 
tural proofs that Jesus Christ was not only the Minister of the circumcision, 
but came also for the salvation of the Gentiles, 8—12. The God of hope 
can fill us with all peace and joy in believing, 13. Character of the church 
at Rome, 14. The reason why the apostle wrote so boldly to the church 
in that city—what God had wrought by him, and what he purposed to do, 
15—24. He tells them of his intended journey to Jerusalem, with a con- 
tribution to the poor saints—a sketch of this journey, 25—29. He com- 
mends himself to their prayers, 30—33. 


FE * then that are strong ought to bear the ° infirmi- 
ties of the weak, and not to please ourselves.. 


a Gal. 6. 1.—b Ch. 14. 1. 


NOTES ON CHAPTER XV. 
Verse 1. We then, that are strong| The sense of this verse is sup- 
posed to be the following. We, Gentile Christians, who perfectly 
26% 


—_ 


306 ROMANS.—CHAP. XV. 


2 *Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good 
to » edification. . a 

3 ©For, even Christ pleased not himself; but, as it is 
written, “The reproaches of them that reproached thee 
fell on me. 

4 For, © whatsoever things were written aforetime were 


21 Cor. 9. 19, 22. & 10. 24, 33. & 13. 5. Phil. 2.4,5.—bCh. 14. 19.—e Matt. 
26.39. John 5. 30. & 6. 38.—4 Psa. 69. 9.—¢ Ch. 4. 23, 24. 1 Cor. 9. 9, 10, & 10. 11. 
2'Tim. 3. 16, 17. 


understand the nature of our Gospel liberty, not only lawfully may, 
but are bound in duty to bear any inconveniences that may arise 
from the scruples of the weaker brethren, and to ease their con- 
sciences by prudently abstaining from such indifferent things as may 
offend and trouble them; and not take advantage from our supe- 
rior knowledge to make them submit to our judgment. 

Verse 2. Let every one of us please his neighbour] For it should 
be a maxim with each of us to do allin our power to please our 
brethrea; and especially in those things in which their spiritual 
edification is concerned. Though we should not indulge men in 
mere whims and caprices, yet we should bear with their ignorance 
and their weakness; knowing that others had much to bear with 
from us before we came to our present advanced state of religious 
knowledge. eo 

Verse 3. For, even Christ pleased not himself] Christ never acted 
as one who sought his own ease or profit ; he not only bore with the 
weakness, but with the insults of his creatures; as it is written in 
Psalm Ixix.9. The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell upon 
me. I not only bore their insults, but bore the punishment due to 
them for their vicious and abominable conduct. That this Psalm re- 
fers to the Messiah and his sufferings for mankind, is evident not only 
from the quotation here, but also from John xix. 28, 29. when our 
Lord’s receiving the vinegar during his expiatory suffering, is said to 
be a fulfilling of the Scripture, viz. of verse 22. of this very psalm: 
and his cleansing the temple, John ii. 15—17. is said to be a fulfil- 
ment of verse 9. For the seal of thy house hath eaten me up, the for- 
mer part of which verse the apostle quotes here. 

Verse 4, For, whatsoever things were written aforelime] This re- 
fers not only to the quotation from the 69th Psalm, but to all the Old 
Testament scriptures; for it can be to no other scriptures that the 
apostle alludes. And from what he says here of them, welearn that 
God had not intended them merely for those generations in which 
they were first delivered : but for the instruction of all the succeed- 
ing generations of mankind. Thai we through patience and comfort 
of the Scriptures : That we, through those remarkable examples of 
patience exhibited by the saints and followers of God, whose history 
is given in those Scriptures ; and the comfort which they derived from 
God, in their patient endurance of sufferings brought upon them 
through their faithful attachment to truth and righteousness, might 


ROMANS.—CHAP. XV. 307 


written for our learning: that we, through patience and 
comfort of the scriptures, might have hope. 

5 * Now, the God of patience and consolation grant you 
to be likeminded one towards another ° according to Christ 
Jesus : 

6 That ye may, © with one mind and one mouth, glorify 
God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

7 Wherefore ‘receive ye one another, °as Christ also 
received us to the glory of God. 


2Ch. 12.16. 1Cor. 1.10. Phil. 3.16.—bOr, after the example of.—c Acts 4. 24, 
32.—d Ch. 14, 1, 3.—e Ch. 5. 2. 


have hope; that we shall be upheld and blessed as they were; and 
our sufferings become the means of our greater advances in faith and 
holiness ; and consequently our hope of eternal glory be the more con- 
firmed. Some think that the word rapaxanotc, which we translate 
comfort should be rendered exhortation ; but there is certainly no 
need here to leave the usual acceptation of the term, as the word 
comfort makes a regular and consistent sense with the rest of the 
verse. 

Verse 5. Now, the God of patience and consolation] May that 
God who endued them with patience, and gave them the consola- 
tion that supported them in all their trials and afflictions ; grant you 
to be likeminded, give you the same mode of thinking, and the 
same power of acting towards each other, according to the exam- 
ple of Christ. 

Verse 6. That ye, Jews and Gentiles, with one mind], Thinking 
the same things, and bearing with each other after the example of 
Christ; and one mouth, in all your religious assemblies, without 
jarring or contentions: glorify God, for calling you into such astate 
of salyation, and showing himself to be your loving, compassionate 
Father, as he is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

It is very likely that the apostle refers here to religious acts in 
public worship, which might have been greatly interrupted by the 
dissensions between the converted Jews and the converted Gentiles : 
these differences he labours to compose; and after having done all 
that was necessary in the way of instruction and exhortation, he 
now pours out his soul to God, who alone could rule and manage the 
heart; that he would enable them to think the same things, to be of 
the same judgment, and that all feeling their obligation to him, they 
might join in the sweetest harmony in every act of religious worship. 

Verse 7. Wherefore, receive ye one another] TeccacuCavscde, 
have the most affectionate regard for each other ; and acknowiedge 
each other as the servants and children of God Almighty. 

As Christ also received us| Kabac nas o Xeisoc reorekabero nace 
In the same manner, and with the same cordial affection as Christ 
has received us into communion with himself; and bas made us 
partakers of such inestimable blessings, condescending to be present 


308 ROMANS.—CHAP. XV. 


8 Now I say that *Jesus Christ was a minister of the 
circumcision for the truth of God, >to confirm the pro- 
mises made unto the fathers: 

9 And* that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mer- 
cy ; as it is written, For this cause I will confess to thee 
among the Gentiles, and sing unto thy name. 


er 
= Matt. 15. 24. John 1. 11. Acts 3. 25, 26. & 13. 46.—b Ch. 3.3. 2Cor. 1. 20.— 
ce John 10. 16. Ch. 9. 23.—d Psa. 18. 49. at 


in all our assemblies. And as Christ has received us thus to the glory 
of God; so should we, Jews and Gentiles, cordially receive each 
other, that God’s glory may be promoted by our harmony and bro- 
therly love. 

Verse 8. Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision] To 
show the Gentiles the propriety of bearing with the scrupulous Jews, 
he shows them here, that they were under the greatest obligations 
to this people; to whom, in the days of his flesh, Jesus Christ con- 
fined his ministry; giving the world to see, that he allowed the 
claim of the Jews as having the first right to the blessings of the 
Gospel. And he confined his ministry thus to the Jews, to confirm 
the truth of God, contained in the promises made unto the patriarchs ; 
for God had declared that thus it should be; and Jesus Christ, by 
coming according to the promise, has fulfilled this truth, by making 
good the promises: therefore salvation is of the Jews, as a kind of 
right, conveyed to them through the promises made to their fathers. 
But this salvation was not exclusively designed for the Jewish peo- 
ple ; as God by his prophets had repeatedly declared. _ 

Verse 9. And that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy] 
As the Jews were to glorify God for his truth; so the Gentiles were 
to glorify God for his mercy. The Jews received the blessings of 
the Gospel by right of promise; which promise God had most punc- 
tually and circumstantially fulfilled. The Gentiles had received 
the same Gospel, as an effect of God’s mere mercy, having no right, 
in consequence of any promise or engagement made with any of 
their ancestors; though they were originally included in the cove- 
nant made with Abraham : and the prophets had repeatedly declared 
that they should be made equal partakers of those blessings with the 
Jews themselves; as the apostle proceeds to prove. 

I will. confess to thee among the Gentiles] This quotation is taken 
from Psalm xviii. 49. and shows that the Gentiles had a right to glo- 
rify God for his mercy to them; and we shall see the strength of 
this saying farther, when we consider a maxim of the an deliver- 
ed in Megillah, fol. 14. ‘‘ From the time that the children of Israel 
entered into the promised land, no Gentile had any right to sing a 
hymn of praise to God. But after that the Israelites were led intc 
captivity, then the Gentiles began to have a right to glorify “aed 
Thus the Jews themselves confess that the Gentiles have a right to 
glorify God; and this, on account of being made partakers of his 


ROMANS.—CHAP. XV. 309 


10 And again he saith, * Rejoice ye Gentiles, with his 
people. 

11 And again, ® Praise the Lord all ye Gentiles ; and 
laud him, all ye people. 

12 And again Esaias saith, ° There shall be a root of 
Jesse, and he that shall rise to reign over the Gentiles ; in 
him shall the Gentiles trust. 

13 Now, the God of hope fill you with all * joy and peace 
in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the 
power of the Holy Ghost. 


a Deut. 32. 43.—b Psa. 117. 1.—cIsa. 11.1, 10. Rev. 5.5. & 22. 16.—4 Ch. 12. 12. 
& 14. 17. 


grace and mercy. And if,says Schoetigen, we have a right to glorify 
God; then it follows that our worship must be pleasing to him: and 
if it be pleasing to him, then it follows, that this worship must be 
good; otherwise God could not be pleased with it. 

Dr. Taylor gives a good paraphrase of this and the three following 
verses. As you Jews glorify God for his truth, so the Gentiles have 
a right to join with you in glorifying God for his mercy. And you 
have Scripture authority for admitting them to such fellowship: for 
instance, David says, Pzal. xviii. 49. Therefore will I give thanks un- 
to thee, O Lord, among the Gentiles ; and sing praises unto thy name. 
And again, Moses himself says, in Deut. chap. xxxii. 43. Rejoice, O 
ye Gentiles, with his people. And again, it is evident, from Psal. cxvily._ 
that praise to God is not to be confined to the Jews only; but that 
all people, as they all share in his goodness, should also join in thanks — 
to their common benefactor ; O praise ihe Lord, all ye nations, (Gen- 
tiles) praise him all ye people; for his merciful kindness is great to- 
ward us; and the truth of the Lord endureth for ever. Again, the 
prophet [Isaiah expressly and clearly declares, chap. xi. ver. 10. 
There shall be a root of Jesse, (that is the Messiah,) and he shail rise 
to reign over the Gentiles, and in him shall ithe Gentiles hope; earricu- 
ew: And thus the apostle proves both to the Jews and to the Gen- 
tiles, who were probably unwilling to join with each other in reli- 
gious fellowship; that they had both an equal right to glorify God; 
being equally interested in his mercy, goodness, and truth: and that, 
from the evidence of the above Scriptures, the Gentiles had as much 
right to hope in Christ, for the full enjoyment of his kingdom, as the 
Jews had; and taking occasion from the last’ word hope, ¢aricucs, 
which we improperly translate trust, he pours out his heart in the 
following affectionate prayer. 

Verse 13. Now, the God of hope, &c.| °O ds Gees rus cAmidoc, may 
the God of this hope, that God who caused both Jews and Gentiles 
to hope that the gracious promises which he made to them should be 
fulfilled ; and who, accordingly, has fulfilled them in the most punc- 
tual and circumstantial manner :— 


310 ROMANS.—CHAP. XV. 


14 And *I myself also am persuaded of you, my brethren, 
that ye also are full of goodness, ” filled with all knowledge, 
able also to admonish one another. _ 4 

15 Nevertheless, brethren, | have written the more 
boldly unto you in some sort, as putting you in mind, * be- 


cause of the grace that is given to me of God, “oe 
J0—°Ch. 1,5, & 12. 3. Gal.1.15. 


a2 Pet. 1.12. 1 John 2, 21.—b1 Cor. 8. 1, 
Eph. 3. 


7, 
y 
4y 


Fill you with all joy] Give you true spiritual happiness; peace 
in your own hearts, and unity among yourselves; in believing, not 
only the promises which he has given you, but believing in Christ 
Jesus, in whom all the promises are yea and amen. : 

That ye may abound in hope] That ye may be excited to take 
more enlarged views of the salvation which God has proyided for you, 
and have all your expectations fulfilled by the power of the Holy 
Ghost, enabling you to hope and believe; and then sealing the ful- 
filment of the promises upon your hearts. 

Verse 14. 4nd I—am persuaded of you] This is supposed to be 
an address to the Gentiles: and it is managed with great delicacy; 
he seems to apologize for the freedom he had used in writing to them ; 
which he gives them to understand proceeded from the authority he 
had received by his apostolical office; the exercise of which office 
respected them particularly. So they cold not be offended, when 
they found themselves so particularly distinguished. 

Ye—are full of goodness] Instead of ayabwruvns, goodness, some — 
MSS. of good repute, have 2yamns, love. In this connexion both 
words seem to. mean nearly the same thing. They were so full of 
goodness and love, that they were disposed, of themselves, to follow 
any plan that might be devised, in order to bring about the most per- 
fect understanding between them and their Jewish brethren. 

Filled with all knowledge] So completely instructed in the mind 
and design of God, relative to their calling,and the fruit which they 
were to bring forth to the glory of God; that they were well quali- 
fied to give one another suitable exhortations on every important 
point. “9 

Tastead of aarnacus, one another, several MSS. have aaacue, others ; 
which gives a clearer sense; for if they were all filled with know- 
ledge, there was little occasion for them to admonish one another: 
but by this they were well qualified to admonish others; to impart 
the wisdom they had to those who were less instructed. 

Verse 15. Nevertheless—I have written] Notwithstanding I have 
this conviction of your extensive knowledge in the things of God, I 
have made bold to write to you in some sort, ao mepous, to a partly 
among you, as some learned men translate the words, who stand 
more in need of such instructions than the others; and I do this, 
because of the grace, diz tv x2piv, because of the office which I 


ROMANS.—CHAP. XV. 311 


16 That 21 should be the minister of Jesus Christ to the 
Gentiles, ministering the Gospel of God, that the ” offering 
‘up of the Gentiles might be acceptable, being sanctified 
by the Holy Ghost. 

‘17 I have, therefore, whereof I may glory through Jesus 
Christ 4in those things which pertain to God. 

18 For I will not dare to speak of any of those things 
© which Christ hath not wrought by me, ‘to make the 
Gentiles obedient by word and deed, 

19 Through mighty signs and wonders, by the power 
of the Spirit of God; so that from Jerusalem, and round 
‘about unto Illyricum, I have fully preached the Gospel of 
Christ. 


~ 


aCh.11. 13. Gal. 2.7,8,9. 1Tim.2.7. 2Tim. 1.11. Phil. 2. 17.» Or, sacriji- 
emng.— Isai. 66. 20. Phil. 2. 17.—4 Hebr. 5. 1.—e Acts 21.19. Gal. 2.8.—fCh. 1. 
5. & 16. 26.—g Acts 19. 11. 2,Cor. 12. 12. 


have received from God; namely, to be the apostle of the Gentiles. 
This authority gave him full right to say, advise, or enjoin any thing 
which he jadged to be of importance to their spiritual interests. 
This subject he pursues farther in the following verse. 

Verse 16. Ministering the Gospel of God] lcgoveycurra, acting 
as apriest. Here is a plain allusion, says Dr. Whitby, to the Jewish 
sacrifices offered by the priest, and sanctified, or made acceptable 
by the libamen offered with them. For he compares himself, in 
preaching the Gospel, to the priest performing his sacred functions, 
preparing his sacrifice to be offered. The Gentiles converted by him 
and dedicated to the service of God, are his sacrifices and oblation. 
The Holy Spirit is the ibamen poured upon this sacrifice, by which 
it was sanctified, and rendered acceptable to God. The words of 
Isaiah, Ixvi. 20. And they shall bring all your brethren for an OFFER- 
ING unto the Lord, out of all Nations, might have suggested the 
above idea to the mind of the apostle. ‘ 

Verse 17. I have therefore, whereof I may glory] Being sent of 
God on this most honourable and important errand, [ have matter of 
great exultation, not only in the honour which he has conferred upon 
me ; but in the great success with which he has crowned my ministry. 

Verse 18. For Iwill not dare to speak] If the thing were not as I 
have stated it, I would not dare to arrogate to myself honours which 
did not belong to me. But God has made me the apostle of the Gen- 
tiles; and the conversion of the Gentiles is the fruit of my ministry ; 
Christ having wrought by me, for this purpose. 

By word and deed] Aoyo nat eeyo* These words may refer to 
the doctrines which he taught; and to the miracles which he wrought 
among them. So they became obedient to the doctrines, on the 
evidence of the miracles with which they were accompanied. 

Verse 19. Through mighty signs and wonders] This more fully 
explains the preceding clause i—through the power of the Holy 


a Wily 0, ney | i a A Li ie el 
312 ROMANS.—CHAP. XV. 


20 Yea, so have I strived to preach the Gospel, not 
where Christ was named, *lest I should build upon ano- 
ther man’s foundation : 

21 But as itis written, “To whom he was not spoken of, 


a2Cor. 10. 15, 16.—> Isai. 52. 15. 


Ghost, he was enabled to work among the Gentiles mighty signs and 
wonders; so that they were fully convinced that both his doctrine — 
and mission were divine ; and therefore they cheerfully received the — 
Gospel of the Lord Jesus. 

Round about unto illyricum] Among ancient writers, this place 
has gone by a great variety of names, Illyria, Ilyrica, Ilyricum, 
Illyris, and Illyrium. It is a country of Europe, extending from the 
Adriatic gulf to Pannonia ; according to Pliny, it extended from the 
river Arsia, to the river Drinius, thus including Liburnia on the west, 
and Dalmatia on the east. Its precise limits have not been deter- 
mined by either ancientor modern geographers. It seems, according 
to an inscription in Gruter, to have beeu divided by Augustus into 
two provinces, the upper and lower. It now forms part of Croatia, 
Bosnia, Istria, and Sclavonia. When the apostle says that he 
preached the Gospel from Jerusalem round about to Illyricum, he 
intends his land journies chiefly ; and by looking at the map annexed 
to the Acts of the Apostles, the reader will see that from Jerusalem 
the apostle went round the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea, 
and that he passed through Syria, Phoenicia, Arabia, Cilicia, Pam- 
phylia, Pisidia, Lycaonia, Galatia, Pontus, Paphlagonia, Phrygia, 
Troas, Asia, Caria, Lycia, Ionia, Lydia, Thrace, Macedonia, Thes- 
saly, and Achaia; besides the isles of Cyprus and Crete. And no 
doubt he visited many other places which are not mentioned in the © 
New Testament. . 

I have fully preached the Gospel] Mlerangaxevat To svayysator, 
F have successfully preached : 1 have uot only proclaimed the word, 
but made converts, and founded churches. See the note on Matt.v. 
17. where this sense of the word zaxgouy, is noticed ; for it signifies 
not only fully or perfectly, but also to teach with prosperity and suc- 
cess. 

Verse 20. So have I strived to preach the Gospel] Ovrw de ptr2- 
tyxzouuevov, for I have considered it my honour to preach the Gospel 
where that Gospel was before unknown. This is the proper import 
of the word gsactimetocbas, from esrce, a friend, and rin, honour. 
As I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, so | esteem it an honour 
to preach it; and especially to proclaim it among the heathen: not 
building on another man’s foundation, not watering what another 
apostle had planted; but cheerfully exposing myself to all kinds of 
dangers and hardships, in order to found new churches. 

Verse 21. But as it is written] These words quoted from Isa, 
hii. 15. the apostle applies to his own conduct; not that the words 
themselves predicted what Paul had done, but that he endeavoured 


Tae "=e 


ROMANS.—CHAP, XV. 315 


they shall see : and they that have not heard shall under- 
stand. ‘ 

22 For which cause also *! have been ° much hindered 
from coming to you. 

23 But now having no more place in these parts, and 
* having a great desire these many years to come unto you ; 

24 Whensoever | take my journey into Spain, | will 
come to you: for I ‘trust to see you in my journey, and 
to be brought on my way thitherward by you, if first I be 
somewhat filled © with your company. 


aooooaoaoaouoananua000a0a0anamaumumuqq eee 
Ch. 1.13. 1 Thess. 2. 17, 18.—> Or, many ways, or oftentimee.— Acts 19. 21. Ver; 
32. Ch, 1. 11.—4 Acts 15. 3.—e Gr. with you. Ver. 32, 


to fulfil such a declaration by his manner of preaching the Gospel 
to the heathen. 

Verse 22. For which cause, &c.] _My considering it a point of 
honour to build on no other man’s foundation, and finding that the 
Gospel has been long ago planted at Rome, I have been prevented 
from going thither, purposing rather to spend my time and strength 
in preaching where Christ has not as yet been proclaimed. 

Verse 23. But—having no more place in these parts]’ Having no- 
thing farther at present that I can do; for romor exer signifies not 
merely to have a place of residence, or the like, but convenience, op- 
portunity ; whichis a frequent meaning of the phrase among the best 
Greek writers : having no large place or city, where Christianity has 
not yet been planted, in which I can introduce the Gospel. The 
apostle was then at Corinth ; and, having evangelized all those parts, 
he had no opportunity of breaking up any new ground. 

Verse 24. Whensoever I take my journey into Spain] Where it 
is very likely the Gospel had not yet been planted ; though legendary 
tales inform us, that St. James had planted the Gospel there long 
before this time; and had founded many bishoprics! But this is as 
unfounded asit is ridiculous and absurd : for nothing like what is now 
termed a bishopric, nor even a parish, was founded for many years 
after this, An itinerant preacher might with more propriety say 
travelling circuits were formed, rather than bishoprics. Whether 
the apostle ever fulfilled his design of going to Spain, is unknown ; 
but there is no evidence whatever that he did ; and the presumption 
is, that he did not undertake this voyage. Antiquity affords no proof 
that he fulfilled his intention. 

Twill come to you] Entucopeireos vas; these words are want- 
ing in almost every MS. of note: and in the Syriac of Erpen, Coptic, 
Vulgate, Athiopic, Armenian, and Itala. If the first clause of this 
verse be read in connexion with the latter clause of the preceding, 
it will fully appear that this rejected clause is useless. Having a 
great desire, these many years, to come unto you, whensoeyer I take 
my journey into Spain; for Itrust to see you in my journey, &c, 

at 


314 ROMANS.—CHAP. XV. 


25 But now *I go unto Jerusalem to minister unto the 
saints. 

26 For ?it hath pleased them of Macedonia and Achaia 
to make a certain contribution for the poor saints which 
are at Jerusalem. 


@ Acts 19. 21. & 20. 22. & 24. 17.—> 1 Cor. 16, 1, 2. 2 Cor. 8. 1. &9. 2, 12. 


Somewhat filled with your company.| The word sazancbe, which 
we translate filled, would be better rendered gratified; for cuaaneOn- 
vas, signifies to be satisfied, to be gratified, and to enjoy. AELIAN. 
Hist. Anim. \ib. v. c. 21. speaking of the peacock spreading out his 
beautiful plumage, saysea yae eumanoOuvas rng Bene cov Waeeswore: 
“ He readily permits the spectator to gratify himself by viewing him.” 
And Maximus Tyrius, Dissert. 41. page 413. “That he may behold 
the heavens, x2s euwancOn azureou qwtos, and be gratified with the 
splendour of the light.” Homer uses the word in the same sense— 


H d eve oude weg uios evirancOnvas axoiris 
Ogdaapcicty tace. 


Odyss. lib. xi. ver. 451. 
“ But my wife never suffered my eyes to be delighted with my son.” 


The apostle, though he had not the honour of haying planted the 
church at Rome; yet expected much gratification from the visit 
which he intended to pay them. : 

Verse 25. Now I go unto Jerusalem] From this and the two following 
verses, we learn that the object of his journey to Jerusalem was to carry 
a contribution made among the Gentile Christians of Macedonia and - 
Achaia, for relief of the poor Jewish Christians at Jerusalem. About 
this business he had taken great pains, as appears from 1 Cor. xvi. 1— 
4. 2Cor. viii. and ix. chapters. His design in this affair is very evi- 
dent, from 2 Cor. ix. 12, 13. where he says, The administration of this 
service not only supplieth the want of the saints, but is abundant also 
by many thanksgivings unto God; whilst, by the experiment of this mi- 
nistration, they glorify God for your professed subjection unto the 
Gospel of Christ; and for your liberal distribution unto them, and 
unto all men. The apostle was in hopes that this liberal contribu- 
tion, sent by the Gentile Christians, who had been converted by St. 
Paul’s ministry, would engage the affections of the Jemwin Christians, 
who had been much prejudiced against the reception of the Gentiles 
into the church without being previously obliged to submit to the 
yoke of the law. He wished to establish a coalition between the 
converted Jews and Gentiles ; being sensible of its great importance 
to the spread of the Gospel; and his procuring this contribution, 
was one laudable device to accomplish thisgood end, And this shows 
why he so earnestly requests the prayers of the Christians at Rome; 
that his service, which he had for Jerusalem, might be accepted of 
the saints. See Dr. Taylor. 


ROMANS.—CHAP. XV. ° 315 


27 It hath pleased them verily: and their debtors they 
are. For, *if the Gentiles have been made partakers of 
their spiritual things, > their duty is also to minister unto 
them in carnal things. 

28 When, therefore, I have-performed this, and have 
sealed to them ‘this fruit, I will come by you into Spain. 

29 4 AndI am sure that, when I come unto you, |! shall 
come in the fulness of the blessing of the Gospel of Christ. 

30 Now I beseech you, brethren, for the Lord Jesus 
Christ’s sake, and © for the love of the Spirit, ‘ that ye 
strive together with me in your prayers to God for me. 

31 £ That I may be delivered from them that ® do not be- 


2 Ch. 11. 17.—>1Cor. 9. U1. Gal. 6. 6.—e Phil. 4. 17.—4 Ch. 1. 11.— Phil. 2. 1.—i2 
Cor. 1. 11. Col. 4. 12.—¢ Phil. 2. 1.—i2 Thess. 3. 2.—> Or, are disobedient. 


Verse 27. For, if the Gentiles have been made partakers, &c.] It 
was through, and by means of the Jews, that the Gentiles were 
brought to the knowledge of God, and the Gospel of Christ. These 
were the spiritual things which they had received : and the pecuniary 
contribution was the carnal things which the Gentiles were now re- 
turning. 

Verse 28. When, therefore, I have performed this] Service ; and 
have sealed, faithfully delivered up to them, this fruit of the success of 
my ministry, and of your conversion to God ; I will come by you into 
Spain : this was in his desire : he had fully purposed it, if God should 
see meet to permit him; but it does not appear that he ever went. 
See ver. 24. 

Verse 29. In the fulness of the blessing of the Gospel of Christ} 
The words rou cuzyyeasou tou, of the Gospel, are wanting in almost 
every MS. of importance. Griesbach has left them out of the text. 
There is no doubt they should be omitted. The fulness of the 
blessing of Christ, is really more than the fulness of the blessing of the 
Gospel of Christ. He hoped to come to them not only with the 
blessing of the Gospel, but endued with the gifts and graces of the 
Lord Jesus himself: which he was now a constant instrument in the 
hand of God, to dispense among those who were converted to the 
Christian faith. 

Verse 30. For the love of the Spirit] By that love of. God which 
the Holy Spirit sheds abroad in your hearts. 

That ye strive together| Svuv2zevicacbas, that ye agonize wilh me. 
He felt that much depended on the success of his present mission to 
the Christians at Jerusalem; and their acceptance of the charitable 
contribution which he was bringing with him io order to conciliate 
them to the reception of the Gentiles into the church of God, with- 
out obliging them to submit to circumcision. 

Verse 31. That I may be delivered from them that do not believe} 


316 ROMANS.—CHAP. XV. 


lieve in Judea ; and that * my service which I have for Je- 
rusalem, may be accepted of the saints. 
32 >That I may come unto you with joy ° by the will of 
God, and may with you be ® refreshed. hs 
33 ° Now the God of peace be with you all. Amen. 


a2 Cor. 8. 4.—b Ch. 1. 10.— Acts 18.21. 1 Cor. 4. 19. James 4. 15.—!1 Cor. 16. 18. 
2 Cor. 7.13. 2Tim. 1.16. Philem. 7. 20.—iCh. 16. 20. 1Cor. 14.33. 2Cor. I3. 
Vi. Phil. 4.9. 1Thess. 5. 23. 2Thess. 3.16. Heb. 13. 20. 


He knew that his countrymen, who had not received the Gospel, lay 
in wait for his life ; and, no doubt, they thought they should do God 
service by destroying him: not only. as an apostate, in their appre- 
hension, from the Jewish religion; but as one who was labouring to 
subvert and entirely destroy it. 

And that my service] Arzxovie; but several eminent MSS. read 
Pagogoetz, the gift which I bear. This probably was a gloss, which 
in many MSS. subverted the word inthe text; for dsaxovse, service, 
in its connexion here, could refer to nothing else, but the contri- 
bution which he was carrying to the poor saints at Jerusalem. 

Verse 32. That I may come unto you with joy| That his apprehen- 
sions of ill usage were not groundless, and the danger to which his 
life was exposed, real, we have already seen in the account given of 
this visit, Acts xxi. xxii. xxiii, and xxiv. And that he had such inti- 
mations from the Holy Spirit himself, appears from Acts xx. 23. xxi. 
11. and xx. 38. Should his journey to Jerusalem be prosperous, 
and his service accepted, so that the converted Jews and Gentiles 
should come to a better understanding, he hoped to see them at Rome 
with great joy. And if he got his wishes gratified through their 
prayers, it would be the full proof that this whole business had been 
conducted according to the will of God. 

Verse 33. The God of peace be with you] The whole object of the 
epistle is to establish peace between the believing Jews and Gentiles; 
and to show them their mutual obligations, and the infinite mercy of 
God to both; and now he concludes with praying that the God of 
peace, he from whom it comes, and by whom itis preserved, may be 
for ever with them. “The word Amen, at the end, does not appear 
to have been written by the apostle ; it is wanting in some of the 


most ancient MSS. Ms 


1. Inthe preceding chapters the apostle enjoins a very hard, but a 
very important and necessary duty, that of bearing with each other ; 
and endeavouring to think, and let think, in those religious matters 
which are confessedly not essential to the salvation of the soul. Most 
of the disputes among Christians have been concerning non-essential 
points. Rites and ceremonies, even in the simple religion of 
Christ, have contributed their part in promoting those animosities by 
which Christians have been divided. Forms in worship, and sacer- 
dotal garments, have not been without their influence in this gene- 
ral disturbance. Each side has been ready to take out of the 14th 


ROMANS.—CHAP. XVI. 317 


and 15th chapters of this epistle, such expressions as seemed suitable 
to their own case; but few have been found who have taken up the 
whole. You believe that a person who holds such and such opinions 
is wrong; pity him, and set him right: lovingly, if possible. He 
believes you to. be wrong, because you do not hold those points : he 
must bear with you. Both of you stand precisely on the same 
round, and are mutually indebted to mutual forbearance. 

2. Beware of contentions in religion; if you dispute concerning 
any of its doctrines, let it be to find out truth ; not to support a pre- 
conceived, and pre-established opinion. Avoid all polemical heat 
and rancour; these prove the absence of the religion of Christ. 
Whatever does not lead you to love God and man more, is most as- 
suredly from beneath. The God of peace is the Author of Christi- 
anity: and the Prince of peace, the priest and sacrifice of it: there- 
fore love one another ; and leave off contention before it be meddled 
with. On this subject, the advice of pious Mr. Herbert is good :—= 


Be calm in arguing; for fierceness makes 

Error a fault, and truth discourtesy. 

Why should I feel another man’s mistakes 

More than his sickness or his poverty ? 

In loye I should; but anger is not love; 

Nor wisdom neither :—thérefore g-e-n-t-l-y m-o-y-e, 


co 
Ss 


CHAPTER XVI. 


The apostle commends to the Christians at Rome, Phoebe, a deaconess of 
the church at Cenchrea, 1,2. Sends greetings to Aquila and Priscilla, of 
whom he gives a high character ; and greets also the church at their house, 
35. Mentions several others by name, both men and women, who were 
members ofthe church of Christ at Rome, 6—16. Warns them to beware 
of those who cause dissentions and divisions, of whom he gives an awful 
character, 17, 18. Extols the obedience of the Roman Christians, and 
promises them a complete victory over Satan, 19, 20. Several persons 
send tHeir salutations, 21—23. ‘To whose good wishes he subjoins the 
apostolic blessing ; commends them to God; gives an abstract of the doc- 
trines of the Gospel ; and concludes with ascribing glory to the only wise 
God, through Christ Jesus, 24—72. 


COMMEND unto you Phebe our sister, which is a 
servant of the church which is at * Cenchrea . 


@ Acts 18. 18. 


NOTES ON CHAPTER XVI. 

Verse 1. I commend unto you Phebe] As the apostle had not beem 
at Rome, previously to his writing this epistle; he could not have 
had a personal acquaintance with those members of the church there 
te whom he sends these friendly salutations. It is likely that many 
of them were his own converts ; who, in different parts of Asia Minor 
and Greece, had heard him preach the Gospel, and afterward be- 


came settlers at Rome. 
on # 


318 ROMANS.—CHAP. XVI. 


2 * That ye receive her in the Lord as becometh saints ; 
and that ye assist her in whatsoever business she hath 
need of you : for she hath been a succourer of many, and 
of myself also. : 

3 Greet ° Priscilla and Aquila my helpers in Christ Je- 
sus : 

4 Who have for my life laid down their own necks: unto 


a Phil. 2, 29. 3 John 5. 6.—b Acts 18. 2, 18, 26. 2 Tim. 4. 19. 


Phoebe is here termed a servant, daxovosy, adeacgness ofthe church 
at Cenchrea. There were deaconesses in the primitive church, 
whose business it was to attend the female convertsat baptism; to 
instruct the catechumens, or persons who were candidates for baptism: 
to visit the sick, and those who were in prison; and, in short, per- 
form those religious offices, for the female part of the church, which 
could not with propriety be performed by men. They were chosen in 
general out of the most experienced of the church ; and were ordina- 
rily widows, who had borne children. Some ancient constitutions re- 
quired them to be forty, others fifty, and others sixty years of age. 
It is evident that they were ordained to their office, by the imposition 
of the hands of the bishop ; and the form of prayer used on the occa- 
sion is extant in the apostolical constitutions. In the tenth or ele- 
venth century, the order became extinct in the Latin church; but 
continued in the Greek church till the end of the twelfth century.— 
See Broughton’s dictionary, article deaconess. 

Cenchrea was a seaport on the east side of the isthmus, which 
joined the Morea to Greece: asthe Lecheum was the seaport on the 
west side of the same isthmus. These were the only two havens 
and towns of any note next to Corinth, that belonged to this terri- 
tory. As the Lecheum opened the road to the Ionian sea, so Cen- 
chrea opened the road to the gean; and both were so advanta- 
geously situated for commerce, that they were very rich. It was 
on the isthmus, between those two ports, which was about six miles 
wide, that the Isthmian games were celebrated; to which St. Paul 
makes such frequent allusions. ig 

Verse 2. Succourer of many] One who probably entertained the 
apostles and preachers who came to minister at Cenehrea; and who 
was remarkable for entertaining strangers. See on chap, xii. 8. 

Verse 3. Greet Priscilla and Aquila] This pious couple had been 
obliged to leave Rome, on the edict of Claudius, see Acts xviii. 2. 
and take refuge in Greece. It is likely that they returned to Rome 
at the death of Claudius, or whenever the decree was annulled. It 
seems they had greatly contributed to assist the apostle in his im- 
portant labours. Instead of Priscilla, the pricy IE . and Ver- 
sions, have Prisca, which most critics suppose to be the genuine 
reading. a ay 

Verse 4. Who have for my life laid down their own necks] Wha 
‘transaction this refers to, we know not; but it appears that these 


ROMANS.—CHAP. XVI. 319 


whom not only I give thanks, but also all the churches of 
the Gentiles. 

5 Likewise greet *the church that is"in their house. Sa- 
lute my well beloved Epenetus, who is ° the first-fruits of 
Achaia unto Christ. 

6 Greet Mary, who bestowed much labour on us. 

7 Salute’Andronicus and Junia my kinsmen, and my fellow- 
prisoners, who are of note among the apostles, who also 
* were in Christ before me. 


21 Cor. 16. 19. Col. 4. 15. Philem. 2, 1 Cor. 16. 15.—¢ Gal. 1. 22. 


persons had, on some occasion, hazarded their own lives to save that 
of the apostle; and that the fact was known to all the churches of 
God in that quarter ; who felt themselves under the highest obliga- 
tions to these pious persons for the important service which they had 
thus rendered. 4 

Verse 5. The church that is in their house] In these primitive 
times, no such places existed as those which we now term churches ; 
the word always signifying the congregation, or assembly of belie- 
vers, and not the place they assembled in.—See the term defined at 
the end of notes on Matt. xvi. 

Epenetus—ihe first-fruits of Achaia] In 1 Cor. xvi. 15. the house 
or family of Stephanas, is said to be the first-fruits of Achaia :—how 
then can it be said here, that Epenetus was the first-fruits, or first 
person who had received the Gospel in that district? 4ns.—Epene- 
tus might have been one of the family of Stephanas; for it is not said 
that Stephanas was the first-fruits, but his house or family; and 
there can be no impropriety in supposing that one of that house or 
family was called Epenetus : and that this person, being the only 
one of the family now at Rome, might be mentioned as the first-fruits 
of Achaia; that is, one of that family which first received the Gos- 
pel in that country. This would rationally account for tae appa- 
rent difficulty, were we sure that Ayaies, Achaia, was the true 
reading : but this is more than EP for Aciae,4 sia, is the reading 
of ABCDEFG. some others ; the Coptic, thiopic, Armenian, Vul- 
gate, and Itala; and some of the chief of Fathers. On this 
evidence, Griesbach has admitted it into the fext. Yet the other 
reading is sufficiently natural, for the reasons already assigned. 

Verse 6. Greet Mary, who bestowed much labour or. us.] Who this 
Mary was, or what the labour was, which she bestowed upon the 
apostles, we know not. Her works, though hidden from man, are 
with God; and her name is recorded with honour in this book 
of life. 

Verse 7. Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen] As the word cv;- 
yevetc, signifies relatives, whether male or female; and as Junia may 
probably be the name of a woman, the wife of Andronicus, it would 
be better to say relatives than kinsmen. But probably St. Pau 


320 ROMANS.—CHAP. XVI. 


8 Greet Amplias, my beloved in the Lord, 

9 Salute Urbane, our helper in Christ, and Stachys my 
beloved. - 

10 Salute Apelles approved in Christ. Salute them 
which are of Aristobulus’ * household. 

11 Salute Herodion my kinsman. Greet them that be of 
the » household of Narcissus, which are in the Lord. 


a Or, friends.—> Or, friends. — 


means no more than that they were Jews; for in chap. ix. 3. he calls 
all the Jews his kinsmen according to the flesh. 

My fellow-prisoners| As Paul was in prisons often, it is likely that 
these persons shared this honour with him on some occasion, which is 
not distinctly marked. e 

Of note among the apostles] Whether this intimates that they were 
noted apostles, or only highly reputed by the apostles, is not abso- 
lutely clear: but the latter appears to me the most probable. They 
were not only well known to St. Paul, but also to the rest of the 
apostles. " 

In Christ before me.| Thatis, they were converted to Christianity 
before Paul was; probably at the day of pentecost, or by the ministry 
of Christ himself, or by that of the seventy disciples. 

Verse 8. Amplias, my beloved in the Lord] One who is my par- 
ticular friend; and also a genuine Christian. 

Verse 9. Urbane, our helper] Who this Urbanus was, we know 
not: what is here stated, is, that he had been a fellow-labourer with 
the apostles. é 

Stachys my beloved] One of my particular friends. 

Verse 10. Apelles approved in Christ] A man who, on different 
occasions, had given the highest proofs of the sincerity and depth of 
his religion. Some suppose that Apelles was the same with Apollos. 
Whoever he was, he had given every demonstration of being a 
genuine Christian. \s ; ' 

Of Aristobulus’ household] I[t is doubted whether this person was 
converted: as the apostle does not sajute him, but his household ; 
or, as the margin reads, his friends. He might have been a Roman 
of considerable distinction: who, though not converted himself, had 
Christians among his servants or his slaves. But, whatever he was, 
it is likely that he was dead at this time, and therefore those of his 
household only are referred to by the apostle. . 

Verse 11. Herodion my kinsman] Probably, another converted 
Jew. See on ver. 7. ee ae 

Of the household of Narcissus] Probably dead also, as we have 
supposed Aristobulus to have been at thistime. 

Which are in the Lord.| This might intimate that some of this 
family were not Christians; those only of that family that were con- 
verted to.the Lord, being saluted, There was a person of the name 


ROMANS—CHAP. XVI. 32F 


12 Salute Tryphena and Tryphosa, who labour in the 
Lord. Salute the beloved Persis, which laboured much 
in the Lord. 

13 Salute Rufus *chosen in the Lord, and his mother 
and mine. 


a2 John 1. 


of Narcissus, who was a freedman of the emperor Claudius, men- 
tioned by Suetonius, in his life of that prince, cap. 37. And by Ta- 
citus, An. lib. xii. cap. 57. But there does not seem any reason to 
suppose that this was the person designed by St. Paul. 

Verse 12. Fryphena and Tryphosa| Two holy women, who, it 
seems, were assistants to the apostle in his work; probably by ex- 
horling, visiting the sick, &c. Persis was another woman, who, it 
seems, excelled the preceding; for, of her it is said, she laboured 
much in the Lord. We learn from this, that Christian women, as 
well as men, laboured in the ministry of the word. In those times 
of simplicity, all persons, whether men or women, who had received 
the knowledge of the truth, believed it to be their duty to propagate 
it to the uttermost-of their power. Many have spent much useless 
labour in endeavouring to prove that these women did not preach. 
That there were some prophetesses, as well as prophets, in the 
Christian church, we learn; and that a woman might pray or pro- 
phesy, provided she had her head covered, we know: and that who- 
ever prophesied, spoke unto others to edification, exhortation, and 
comfort, St. Paul declares 1 Cor. xiv.3. And that no preacher can 
do more, every person must acknowledge; because to edify, exhort, 
and comfort, are the prime ends of the Gospel ministry. If women 
thus prophesied, then women preached. There is, however, much 
more than this implied in the Christian ministry; of which men only, 
and men called of God, are capable. ar 

Verse 13. Rufus chosen in the Lord] Tev exrexrov; one of great 
excellence in Christianity ; a choice man, as we would say. So the 
word exaszres often signifies. Psa. Ixxvili. 31. They smote, tous 
exaterous, the chosen men that were of Israel—So Exzreera prynpeciz, 
are choice sepulchres, Gen. xiii. 6. Exacuta tay Swewy, choice gifts, 
Deut. xii. 11. And avdpec exaexsos, choice men, Judges xx.6. By 
the same use of the word. the companions of Paul and Barnabas are 
termed chosen men, ezacZapzevous avde2c, persons in whom the church 
of God could confide. See Whitby. 

His mother and mine] It is not likely ihat the mother of Rufus 
was the mother of Paul; but while she was the natural mother of 
the former, she acted as a mother to the latter. We say of a person 
of this character that she is a motherly woman. Among the ancients, 
he or she, who acted a kind, instructing, and indulgent part to 
another, was styled the father or mother of suchaone. So Terence. 

Natura tu illi pater es, consiliis ego. 
Adelphi, Act i. scene 2. ver. 47. 

Thou art his father by nature, I, by instruction. 


322 ROMANS.—CHAP. XVI. 


14 Salute Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermas, Patrobas, Her- 
mes, and the brethren which are with them. 

15 Salute Philologus, and Julia, Nereus, and his sister, 
and Olympas, and all the saints which are with them. 

16 # Salute one another with a holy kiss. The churches 
of Christ salute you. 


a1 Cor. 16.20. 2 Cor. 13.12. 1 Thess. 5.26. 1 Pet. 5. 14. 


Verse 14. Salute Asyneritus, &c.] Who these were, we know not. 
Hermas was probably the same to whom a work called the Shepherd, 
is attributed : a work with this title is still extant, and may be found 
among the writings of the apostolical fathers. But it is vain to look 
for identity of persons, in similarity of names; for, among the Greeks 
and Romans, at this time, there were many paraqua who bore the 
same names mentioned in this chapter. 

Verse 15. Salute Philologus, &c.] Of these several persons, 
though much has been conjectured, nothing certain isknown, Even 
the names of some are so ambiguous, that we know not whether . 
they were men or women. They were persons well known to St. 
Paul, and undoubtedly were such as had gone from different places 
where the apostle had preached, to sojourn or settle at Rome. One 
thing we may remark, that there is no mention of St. Peter, who, 
according to the Roman and Papistical catalogue of bishops, must 
have been at Rome at this time; if he were not now at Rome, the 
foundation stone of Rome’s ascendancy, of Peter’s supremacy, and 
of the uninterrupted succession, is taken away; and the whole fa- 
bric falls to the ground. But, if Peter were at Rome at this time, 
Paul would have sent his salutations to him, in the first place; and if 
Peter were there, he must have been there according to the Papistical 
doctrine, as bishop and vicar of Jesus Christ. But j if he were there, 
is it likely that he should have been passed by, while Andronicus and 
Junia are mentioned as of note amongst the apostles, ver. 7. and that 
St. Paul should eall on the people to remedy the disorders that had 
crept in among themselves; should not these directions have been 
given to Peter, the head of the church? And if there were a cherch, 
in the Papistical sense of the word, founded there, of which Peter 
was the head, is it likely that that church should be i in the house of 
Priscilla and Aquila? ver. 5. But itis loss of time to refute such ridi- 
culous and groundless pretensions. It is very likely that Peter, so 
far from being universal bishop at Rome, never saw the city in his life. 

Verse 16. Salute one anuther with a holy kiss] In those early 
times, the kiss, as a token of peace, friendship, and brotherly love, 
was frequent among all people; and the Christians used it in their 
public assemblies, as well as in their occasional meetings. This was 
at last laid aside, not because it was abused, but because the church 
becoming very numerous, the thing was impossible. In some coun- 
tries the kiss of friendship is still common ; and in such countries it 


ROMANS.—CHAP. XVI. 323 


17 Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them ? which 
cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which 
ye have learned, and > avoid them. 

18 For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus 
Christ, but “their own belly ; and ‘by good words and 
fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple. 


a Acts 15.1, 5,24. 1 Tim. 6. 3.—1Cor. 5.9, 11. 2Thess. 8.6,14. 2Tim. 3. 5. 
Titus 3. 10. 3 3onn 10.—c Phil. 3.19. iTim. 6.5.4 Col. 2.4. 2Tim.3.6. Titus 
1.10. 2Pet.2. 3. 


is scarcely ever abused ; nor is it an incentive to evil, because it is 
customary andcommon. Shaking of hands is now substituted for it 
in almost all Christian congregations. 

The churches of Christ salute you] The word x2czz, ail, is added 
here by some of the most reputable MSS. and principal Versions; and 
Griesbach has received it into his text. St. Paul must mean here, 
that all the churches in Greece and Asia, through which he had pas- 
sed, and in which the faith of Christians at Rome was known, spoke 
of them affectionately and honourably ; and probably knowing the 
apostle’s design of visiting Rome, desired to be kindly remembered 
to the church im that city. 

Verse 17. Mark them which cause divisions] Several MSS. read 
xoptrws cxorete, look sharply after them: let them have no kiss of 
charity nor peace ; because they strive to make divisions, and thus set 
the flock of Christ at variance among themselves ; and from these di- 
visions, offences, cxaydaaz, scandals are produced ; and this is con- 
trary to that doctrine of peace, unity, and brotherly love which you 
have learned. Look sharply -after such, that they do you no evil : 
and avoid them: give them no countenance, and have no religious 
fellowship with them. 

Verse 18. They serve not our Lord Jesus] They profess to be 
apostles, but they are not apostles of CurisT: they neither do his 
will, nor preach his doctrine ; they serve their own belly. They 
have intruded themselves into the church of Christ, that they might 
get a secular support ; it is for worldly gain alone, that they take up 
the profession of the ministry ; they have no divine credentials ; they 
convert not the heathen nor the ungodly; they have no Divine unc- 
tion ; but by good words and fair speeches, (for they have no miracu- 
lous nor saving powers,) deceive the hearts of the simple, perverting 
Christian converts, that they may get their property ; and thus se- 
cure a maintenance for themselyes.—The church of God has ever 
been troabled with such pretended pastors; men who feed them- 
selves, not the flock ; men who are too proud to beg, and too lazy to 
work : who have neither grace nor gifts to plant the standard of the 
cross on the deyil’s territories; and by the power of Christ, make in- 
roads upon his kingdom, and spoil him of his subjects. On the con- 
trary, by sowing the seeds of dissensions, by means of doubtful dispu- 
tations, and the propagation of scandals ; by glaring and insinua- 


324 XOMANS.—CHAP, XVI, 


19 For * your obedience is come abroad unto all men. 
1 am glad therefore on your behalf: but yet I would have 
you * wise unto that which is good, and ° simple concern- 
ing evil, ry 

20 And “the God of peace shall ‘ bruise Satan under 
your feet shortly. & The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ 
be with you. Amen. , 

21 "Timotheus my workfellow, and * Lucius, and Ja- 
son, and * Sosipater, my kinsmen, salute you. 


Eo 

a Ch. 1. 8.—b Matt. 10. 16. 1 Cor. 14. 20,—e Or, Aarmless.—d Ch. 15. 33.—e Gen. 
3. 15.—f! Or, tread.—s Ver. 24.. 1 Cor. 16. 23. 2Cor. 13, 14. Phil. 4-23, 1 Thess. 
5. 28, 2 Thess. 3.18. Rev. 22. 21.—h Acts 16.1. Col.1.1. Phil. 2.19.. 1 Thess. 
3.2. 1Tim. 1.2. Hebr. 13. 23.—i Acts 13. 1.—k Acts 17. 5.—] Acts 20. 4. 


ting speeches, 7eg1soroyses, for they affect elegance and good breed- 
ing, they rend Christian congregations, form a party for themselves, 
and thus live on the spoils of the church of God. 

Should it be asked, Whom do you intend by this description? 1 
aliswer, no soul, nor party, but such as the description suits. Jras- 
ceris 2—De TE fabula narratur. 

Verse 19. For your obedience is come abroad} The apostle gives 
this as a reason why they should continue to hear and heed those who 
had led them into the path of truth; and avoid those false teachers 
whose doctrines tended to the subversion of their souls. 

Yet I would have you wise] 1 would wish you carefully to discern 
the good from the evil, and to show your wisdom by carefully avoid- 
ing the one and cleaving to the other. : 

Verse 20, The God of peace] Who neither sends nor favours 
such disturbers of the tranquillity of his church. 

Shall bruise Satan] Shall give you the dominion over the great 
adversary of your souls; and over all his agents, who, through his 
influence, endeavour to destroy your peace, and subvert your minds. 

Several critics suppose that the word Satan is a sort of collective 
term here, by which all oppozers and adversaries are meant; and 
especially those false teachers to whom he refers above. It rather 
means the deyil and his agents. st 

The grace of our Lord| That you may be truly wise; simple, 
obedient, and steady in the truth; may the favour, or gracious influ- 
ence, of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you ! without which you can- 
not be preserved from evil nor do any thing that is good. — 

Here the apostle appears to have intended to conclude his epistle : 
but afterward he added a postscript, if not two, as we shall see below. 
Several ancient MSS. omit the whole of this clause, probably thinking 
that it had been borrowed from ver. 24. but on the ground that the 
apostle might have added a postscript or two, not having immediate 
opportunity to send the epistle, there is no need for this supposition. 

Verse 21. Timotheus, my workfellow] This is on all hands al- 
towed to be the same Timothy to whom St. Paul directs the two 


ROMANS.—CHAP. XVI. 325 


‘ 22 1 Tertius, who wrote this epistle, salute you in the 
Lord. 

_ 23 * Gaius mine host, and of the whole church, saluteth 
you. ° Erastus the chamberlain of the city saluteth you, 
and Quartus a brother. 


a 1Cor. 1. 14.—> Acts 19. 22. 2 Tim. 4. 20. 


epistles which are still extant. See some account of him in the 
notes on’ Acts xvi. 1, &c. 

Lucius| This was probably Luke, the evangelist, and writer of 
the book called The Acts of the Apostles. For a short account of 
him, see the Preface to that book. 

Jason] Itis likely that this is the same person mentioned Acts 
xvii. 7. who, at Thessalonica, received the apostles into his house, 
and befriended them at the risk both of his property and life. 

Sosipater| He was a Berean, the son of one Pyrrhus,:a Jew by 
birth ; and accompanied St. Paul from Greece into Asia; and proba- 
bly into Judea. See Acts xx. 4. : 

Verse 22, I Tertius, who wrote this epistle] Some eminent com- 
mentators suppose Tertius to be the same with Silas, the companion 
of St. Paul. If this were so, it is strange that the name whichts gene- 
rally given him elsewhere in Scripture, should not be used in this 
place. I have already noticed, (Preface, page vii.) that some learned 
men have supposed that St. Paul wrote this epistle in Syriac; and 
that Tertius translated it into Greek: but this can never agree with 
the declaration here; I Tertius, who wrote, zpeles ry extsoanr, 
this epistle; not translated or interpreted it. It appears that St.Paul 
dictated it to him; and he wrote it down from the apostle’s mouth : 
and here introduces himself as joining with St. Paul in affectionate 
wishes for their welfare. 

Salute you in the Lord.] 1 wish you well in the name of the Lord : 
or I feel for you that affectionate respect which the grace of the Lord 
Jesus inspires. It is not clear whether the two following verses be 
the words of Tertius, or St. Paul. 

Verse 23. Gaius, mine host] Gaius, in Greek, is the same as 
Caius in Latin, which was a very common name among the Romans. 
St. Luke, Acts xix. 29. mentions one Gaius of Macedonia, who was 
exposed to much violence at Ephesus in the tumult excited by Deme- 
trius the silversmith, against St. Paul and his companions; and it is 
very possible that this was the same person. He is here called not 
only the host, Zevos, the entertainer os St. Paul, or Tertius, (if he 
wrote this and the following verse,) but also of the whole church: 
that is, he received and lodged the apostles who came from different 
places, as well as the messengers of the churches. All made his 
house their home ; and he must have been a person of considerable 
property to be able to bear this expense : and of much piety and love 
to the cause of Christ, else he had not emploved that property in 
this way. 


28 


326 ROMANS.—CHAP. XVI. 


24 * The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. 
Amen. . 

25 Now to him that is of power to stablish you © ac- 
cording to my Gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, 
4 according to the revelation of the mystery, ® which was 
kept secret since the world began, 
See e—S=$@mS SSS 

a Ver. 20. 1 Theas. 5. 21.—b Eph. 3. 20. 1 Thess. 3.12. 2 Thess. 2. 17. & 3. 3. 
Jude 24.—e Ch. 2. 16.—4 Eph. 1. 9. & 3.3, 4,5. Col. 1. 27.—e 1Cor. 2.7. Eph. 
3.5,9. Gal. 1, 26. . 


Erastus, the chamberlain of the city] Treasurer of the cily of Co- 
rinth, from which St. Paul wrote this epistle. This is supposed to be 
the same person asis mentioned Acts xix. 22, He wasone of St. Paul’s 
companions ; and, as appears from 2 Tim. iv. 20. was left about this 
time by the apostle at Corinth. He is called the chamberlain, o1x0- 
vossos, which signifies the same as treasurer; he to whom the receipt 
and expenditure of the public money was entrusted. He received 
the tolls, customs, &c. belonging to the city, and out of them paid the — 
public expenses. Such persons were in very high credit, and if 
Erastus was at this time treasurer, it would appear that Christianity 
was then in considerable repute in Corinth. But if the Erastus of 
the Acts were the same with the Erastus mentioned here, it is not 
likely that he now held the office, for this could not at all comport 
with his travelling with St. Paul. Hence several, both ancients and 
moderns, who believe the identity of the persons, suppose that Eras- 
tus was not now treasurer, but that having formerly been so, he still 
retained the title. Chrysostom thought that he still retained the 
employment. 

Quartus, a brother} Whether the brother of Erastus or of Tertius, 
we know not; probably nothing more is meant than that he wasa 
Christian, one of the heavenly family, a brother in the Lord. 

Verse 24. The grace of our Lord] This is the conclusion of Ter- 
tius, and is similar to what St. Pau] used above. Hence it is possible 
that Tertius wrote the whole of the 22d, 23d, and 24th verses, with- 
out receiving any particular instructions from St. Paul, except the 
bare permission to add his own salutations with those of his particular 
friends. ; 

There is a great deal of disagreement among the MSS. and Ver- 
sions relative to this verse; some rejecting it entirely, and some of 
those which place the following verses at the end of chap. xiv. 
inserting it at the end of the 27th verse in that place. The reader 
who chooses, may consult Weistein and Griesbach, on these dis- 
cordances. Bk ; 

Verse 25. Now to him] In the note at the end of chap. xiv. Ihave 
shown that this and the following verses are, by the most reputable 
MSS. and Versions, placed at the end of that chapter; which is sup- 
posed, by most critics, to be their proper place. Some of the argu- 
ments adduced in favour of this transposition, may be found in the 


ROMANS.—CHAP. XVI. 327 


26 But now is made manifest, *and by the scriptures of 
the prophets, according to the commandment of the ever- 
lasting God, made known to all nations for > the obedience 
of faith : 


aeeeeoeoeeoaaoaeleaq“qna@®q®aqaqaq®0®Qoaononuquququm eee 
a Eph. 1.9. 2Vim. 1.10. Tit, 1.2,3. 1Pet. 1. 20.—b Atts 6.7. Ch. 1.5. & 15. 18. 


note above-mentioned. [| shall therefore refer to Griesbach, and pro- 
ceed to make a few short remarks on the verses as they occur here. 

Of power to stablish you] To that God without whom nothing is 
wise, nothing strong; who is as willing to teach as he is wise; as 
ready to help, as he is strong. a 

According to my Gospel] That Gospel which explains and pub- 
lishes God’s purpose of taking the Gentiles to be His people under 
the Messiah, without subjecting them to the law of Moses. This is 
what he here calls the preaching of Jesus Christ, for without this he 
did not think, as Mr. Locke observes, that Christ was preached to 
the Gentiles as he ought to be; and therefore in several places of his 
epistle to the Galatians, he calls it the truth, and the truth of the 
Gospel, and uses the like expressions to the Ephesians and Colossians. 
This is that mystery which he is so much concerned that the Ephe- 
sians should understand and adhere to firmly ; and which was re- 
vealed to him according to that Gospel whereof he was made a 
minister. And it is probable that this grand mystery of bringing the 
Gentiles into the kingdom of God, without passing through the rites 
of the Mosaic law, was revealed more particularly to St. Paul, than 
to any other of the apostles; and that he preached it more pointedly, 
and certainly with more success. See Taylor and Locke. 

Which was kept secret} This purpose of calling the Gentiles, and 
giving them*equal privileges to the Jews, without obliging them to 
submit to circumcision, &c. 

Verse 26. But now is made manifest] Now, under the New Tes- 
tament dispensation, and by my preaching. 

By the scriptures of the prophels| Hints relative to this impor- 
tant work being seattered up and down through all their works, but 
no clear revelation that the Gentiles who should be admitted into 
the church, should be admitted without passing under the yoke of 
the Mosaic law. This was the point which was kept secret: as to 
the calling of the Gentiles, this was declared in general terms by 
the prophets, and the apostle quotes and makes a most important use 
of their predictions; but the other was a point on which the pro- 
phets gave no information, and it seems to have been peculiarly re- 
vealed to St. Paul, who received the commandment of the everlast- 
ing God to make it known, ss ravre re eOvn, to all the Gentiles; all 
the people of the earth that were not of Jewish extraction. And it 
was to be made known for the obedience of faith, that they might 
believe its doctrines, and obey its. precepts ; its universal voice re- 
quiring repentance toward God, faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, 
and circumcision of the heart, in the place of all Jewish rites antl 
ceremonies. 


328 ROMANS.—CHAP. XVI. 


27 To *God only wise, be glory through Jesus Christ 
for ever. ° Amen. ; 
J Written to the Romans from Corinthys, and sent by 
Pheebe, servant of the church at Cenchrea. 


sees 
aCh.9.5. Eph. 3. 20, 21. 1 Tim. 1. 17. & 6.16. Jude 25.—b 1 Cor. 14. 16. , 
Gal. 1.4,5. Rev.3.14. . ‘ 


nN —————— 

Verse 27. To God only wise] This comes in with great propriety. 
He alone, who is the Fountain of wisdom and knowledge, had all 
this mystery in himself, and he alone who knew the times, places, 
persons, and circumstances, could reveal the whole; and he has re- 
vealed all in such a way as not only to manifest his unsearchable 
wisdom, but also his infinite goodness. Therefore, to him be glory 
for his wisdom in devising this most admirable plan; and his good- 
ness in sending Christ Jesus to execute it: to Him, through Christ 
Jesus, be glory for ever! Because this plan is to last for ever; and 
is to have no issue but in eternal glory. 

Written to the Romans from Corinthus, &c.] That this. epistle 
was written from Corinth, is almost universally believed. That. 
Phoebe was a deaconess of the church at Cenchrea, we have seen in 
the first verse of this chapter; and that the epistle might have been 
sent by her to Rome is possible: but that she should have been the 
writer of the epistle, as this subscription states, eypagy dea DosGne, is 
false, for the 22d verse shows that Tertius was the writer, though by 
inserting the words and sent, we represent her rather as the carrier 
than the writer. This subscription, however, stands on very ques- 
tionable grounds. It is wanting in almost all the ancient MSS. and 
even of those which are more modern, few have it entirely, as in 
our common editions. It has already been noted that the subserip- 
tions to the sacred books are of little or no authority; all having 
been added in later times, and frequently by injudicious hands. 
The most,ancient have simply Yo the Romans, or the Epistle to the 
Romans is finished. The word 4men was seldom added by the in- 
spired writers, and here it is wanting in almost all the ancient MSS. 
As this was a word in frequent use in religious services, pious peo- 
ple would naturally employ it in finishing the reading or copying of 
this epistle, as they would thereby express their conviction of the 
truth of its contents, and their desire that the promises contained in 
it might be fulfilled to them and to the church at large; and in this 
sense the word is not only harmless, but useful. May the fulness of 
the Gentiles be brought in, and may all Israel be saved! This is 
treated of at large in this epistle; and to this prayer let every pious 
reader say AMEN! See the observations on this word at the end of 
the Gospel of John. ’ . 

Before I conclude this work, I shall beg leave'to add several im- 
portant observations, chiefly extracted from Dr. Taylor. ! 


1. Paul the apostle, writes to all the Christians at Rome, without 
distinction, as being called of Jesus Christ; beloved of God, called 


Ms 


ROMANS.—CHAP. XVI. 329 


saints, as justified by faith, and having peace with God, as standing 
in the grace of the Gospel, chap. v. 1, 2, as alive from the dead, chap. 
vi. 13. &c. He gives them various exhortations, Walk in newness 
of life. Let not sin reign in your mortal body. Yield yourselves unto 
God, chap. xii. 1, &c. I beseech you, therefore, brethren, by the mer- 
cies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, accepi- 
able unto God, which is your reasonable service: chap. xiv. 10, 12. 
We shall all stand before the judgment-seat of Christ. Every one of 
us shall give account of himself to God: chap. xiii. 11, 12, 13, 14. 
It is high time to awake out of sleep ; let us therefore cast off the work 
of darkness ; let us not walk in rioting and drunkenness, in chamber- 
ing and wantonness, in. strife and envying ; Make no provision for 
the flesh to fulfil the lusts thereof: viii. 13. For if yelive after the 
flesh, ye shall die ; perrere avrobvnenety, ye shall hereafter die, mean- 
ing in the world tocome. But df ye, through the Spirit, do mortify 


the deeds of the body, ye shail live. 


2. The rites and ceremonies of the law of Moses were incorpora- 
ted into the civil state of the Jews, and so might be considered as 
national and political usages. Now, as the Gospel did not interfere 
with, or subvert, any national polity upon earth; but left all men, 
in all the several countries of the globe, to live, in all things not sinful, 
according to the civil constitution under which it found them: so it 
left the Jews also at liberty to observe all the rites and injunctions 
of the law of Moses, considered as a part of the civil and political 
usages of the nation. And in this respect, they remained in force 
so long as the Jews were a nation, having the temple, the token of 
God’s presence and residence, among them. But when the temple 
was destroyed, and they were expelled the land of Canaan, their 
polity was dissolved, and the Mosaic rites were quite laid aside. 
And as the time in which this happened was near, when the Epistle 
to the Hebrews was written, therefore the apostle saith, The first 
covenant, or Mosaical dispensation, was then decaying and waxing 
old, and ready to vanish away, Hebr. viii. 13. 

3. But though the Gospel was not, in itself, intended to unchurch 
the Jews; yet the Jews every where warmly opposed the preaching 
of it, though not for the same reasons. Some Jews opposed it 
totally, and rejected the whole Gospel as unnecessary, judging the 
Mosaical constitution, and their conformity to the law there deliver- 
ed, completely sufficient for justification or salvation, without any 
farther provision made by the grace of God. These accounted 
Christ, our Lord, an impostor, and the Gospel a forgery ; and there- 
fore persecuted the apostles with the utmost assiduity and outrage, 
as deceivers who had no divine mission. Such were the Jews who 
put Stephen to death, Acts vi. vii. chapters. Such were they at 
Antioch, in Pisidia, who were filled with envy, and spake against the 
things that were spoken by Paul, contradicting and blaspheming, 
Acts xiii. 45, 50. Such were the JewsatIconium, Acts xiv. 2, 19.— 
at Thessalonica, xvii. 5.—at Corinth, xviii. 5, 6. and in other places. 
And such a Jew was Paul himself before his conversion. He con- 
sented to the death of Stephen, ie, havoc of the church, Acts vijz. 

2 


I 
338 ROMANS.—CHAP. XVI. 


3. and breathed out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples 
of the Lord, ix. 1. xxii. 4. xxvi. 9, 10, 11. P 

4, What Paul’s principles, and those of the unbelieving Jews were, 
wo may learn, if we observe, that the first persecution raised against 
the apostles at Jerusalem, was, partly, on account of their preaching 
through Jesus the resurrection from the dead, Acts iv. 1,2, This 
gave great offence to the Sadducees ; and, partly, because they open- 
ly affirmed that Jesus, whom the rulers of the Jews slew and hanged 
on a tree, was the Messiah, whom God had exalted to be a Prince 
anda Saviour. This disgusted all the council and senate of the Jews, 
Acts v. 21, 28, 29, 30, 31. But with regard to these two particulars, 
the indignation of the Jews seems, for some time, abated ; till the 
doctrine the apostles taught was better understood ; and Stephen, in 
his dispute-with some learned Jews, had suggested that the Gospel 
was intended to abrogate the Mosaical constitution, Acts vi. 9—15. 
This irritated the Jews afresh ; especially the Pharisees, the strictest, 
and most numerous sect among them. And Saul, one of that sect, 
(Acts. xvi. 5. xxiii. 6.) being then a young man, just come out of Ga- 
maliel’s school, having finished his studies in the law, and being fully 
persuaded that the Jewish dispensation was instituted by God, never 
to be altered, but to abide for ever, he really believed that Jesus and 
his followers were deceivers, and that it was his duty to oppose them, 
and to stand up courageously for God and his truth. Thus he hon- 
estly followed the dictates of his own conscience. How far other un- 
believing Jews were, or were not, upright in their opposition to the 
Gospel, God only knows ; but their professed principles seem to be 
nearly the same. In short; they were for seizing on the inheritance, 
(Matt. xxi. 38.) and for engrossing all salvation, and the favour of 
God, tothemselves. The Jews, they judged, were the only people of 
God; and the Jewish nation the only true church, out of which 
there was no salvation. No man could be ima state of acceptance: 
with God, without observing the law of Moses. The works of the 
law, moral and ceremonial, must be performed, in order to his being 
amc of God’s church and family, and having a right to future 
an 


as abandoned of God, only because we were not included in their 
pecntiarity ; while they imagined themselves to he vastly superior to 


ROMANS.—CHAP. XVI. 33f 


us, and the only people beloved of God, purely on account of their 
external privileges, and relation to God as the seed of Abraham’; 
being circumcised, enjoying the law, the promises and ordinances of 
worship, &c 

5. And this was another ground of their opposition to the Gospel, 
when it was preached to the Geutiles. Indeed the apostles them- 
selves, and the first Christians among the Jews, had, for some time, 
no notion of the Gospel’s being preached to the Gentiles; till God, 
in a vision, convinced Peter it was his, will that it should, Acts x. 
But the unbelieving Jews regarded the jpreaching of the Gospel to 
the Gentiles, or the declaring that they were, upon their faith in 
Christ, pardoned and admitted into the church of God, and to the 
hopes of eternal life, almost in the same manuer az we should regard 
the preaching of the Gospel to brute creatures. They could not 
bear the thought that the Gentiles, any barbarous nations, should, 
only by faith, ‘have an equal interest in God and the blessings of his 
covenant, with themselves. They did not indeed deny the possi- 
bility of their being taken into the church, and of obtaining salva- 
tion. But it must be only by their becoming Jews ; they must first 
submit to the law, and yield obedience to its precepts and obliga- 
tions, before they could be the qualified objects of God’s mercy. 
There was no grace, no part in the kingdom of God, either here or 
hereafter, for a Gentile, unless he first became a "Jew, and per- 
formed the works of the Mosaical law. By these sentiments they 
were led to do all they could to oppose the preaching of the Gospel 
to the Gentiles, and became very bitter enemies to Paul, who was 
the apostle particularly selected and commissioned for that puspose, 
They could not allow the Gentiles to have any access to the privi- 
leges of God’s church and people, but through the door of the law ; 
and to introduce them any other way, was not only to overthrow 
their law and peculiarity, but to deceive the Gentiles, Therefore 
they did all in their power to withstand the apostle ; and to persuade 
the Gentiles every where that he was an odious impostor; that his 
Gospel was a forgery, destitute of divine authority ; that he propo- 
sed admitting them into the church and covenant of God, in a way 
which had no foundation in the declared will of God. Their law 
was the only divine establishment, and obedience to it the only 
means to introduce them into the kingdom of God; and Paul could 
have no commission from heaven te"teath otherwise, whatever he 
might pretend, or what miracles soever he might work. Of this 
sort of Jews the apostle speaks, 1 Thess. ii. 14, 15, 16. 

Other Jews there were who believed the Gospel, and agreed that 
it ought to be preached to the Gentiles. But so that the Gentiles, 
at the same time they accepted the Gospel, were obliged to submit 
to the law of Moses in every part; otherwise they ‘could not be 
saved, or have any interest in the kingdom and covenant of God, 
Acts xy. 1. These taught that the Gospel was insufficient without 
the law. They differed from the fore-mentioned Jews in that they 
embraced the faith of Jesus Christ. But agreed with them in this, 
that the law of Moses was to be in force for ever, and the obser- 


© 332 ROMANS.—CHAP. XVI. 


vance of all its rituals absolutely necessary to a standing in the 
church of God, and the hopes of eternal life. And for this reason, 
they were upon pretty good terms with the unbelieving Jews, and 

avoided the persecution, to which those who adhered to the pure 
and unmixed Gospel were exposed, Gal. vi. 12. These Jews, whe 
were for joining law and Gospel together, were also great enemies 
to our apostle. He speaks of them, Phil. iii. 2, 3, &c. 

6. Now against the mistakes of the infidel Jews, the apostle thus 
argues in the Epistle to the Romans: Jews, as well as Gentiles, have 
corrupted themselves, and are become obnoxious to the Divine 
wrath; and if they repent not; will certainly fall under the wrath 
of God in the last day. Consequently, as both are obnoxious to 
wrath, both must be indebted to grace and mercy for any favour 
shownthem. The continuance of the Jews in the church, as well 
as the admittance of the Gentiles into it is wholly of grace: mere 
grace or favour. Upon which footing, the Gentiles must have as 
good a right to the blessings of God’s covenant as the Jews them- 
selves. And why not? Is not God the Creator and Governor of 
the Gentiles, as well as of the Jews? And, if both Jews and Gen- 
tiles have corrupted themselyes by wicked works, it is impossible 
that either should have a right to the privileges of God’s church 
and people, on account of WORKS, or obedience to the law of God, 
whether natural or revealed. It must be pure merey, accepted by 
faith, through Christ, or a persuasion of that mercy on their part 
which gives that right. All must be indebted to grace. The works 
of the law never gave the Jews themselves a right to the privileges 
and promises of the covenant. Even Abraham himself, (the head 
of the nation, who was first taken into God’s covenant, and from 
whom the Jews derive all their peculiar blessings and advantages, ) 
was not justified by works of the law. It was free grace, or favour, 
which at once admitted him and his posterity into the covenant and 
church of God. And that the grace of thé Gospel actually extends 
to all mankind, appears from the universality of the resurrection ; 
which is the effect of Gods grace or favour in a Redeemer ; and is 
‘the first and fundamental part of the new dispensation, with regard 
to the of eternal life. For, as all were involved in death, in 
consequence of Adam’s sin: so shall all be restored to life at the last 
da or in consequence of Christ’s obedience. And therefore, it is 

ertain that all men actually have a share in the mercy of God i in 
Christ Jesus.—Thus the apostle argues, Nate 

7. And we ought particularly to observe ; saves he combats the 
engrossing temper of the Jews, in bis arguments. They could not 
engross all virtue to themselves, for they were as bad as other peo- 
ple; they could not engross God and his favour to themselves, for he 
was the Governor and * Creator of Gentiles as well as Jews; they 
could not engross Abraham, and the promise made to him, to them- 
selves, for he is the father of many nafions, and the believing Gen- 
tiles are his seed as well as the Jews; they could not eugross the 
resurrection, the necessary introduction to eternal life, to themselves, 
because it is known and allowed to be common to all mankind. 


ROMANS.—CHAP. XVI. 333 


8. And he had good reason te be so large and particular in con- 
fating the mistakes of the infidel Jews. For, had their principles 
prevailed, the Gospel could not have maintained its ground. For, 
if we must have performed the works of the law, before we could 
have been interested in the blessings of the covenant, then the Gos- 
pel would have lost its nature and force. For then it would not 
have been a motive to obedience, but the result of obedience; and 
we could have had no hope toward God, prior to obedience. There- 
fore, the apostle has done a singular and eminent piece of service to 
the church of God, in asserting and demonstrating the free grace 
and covenant of God, as a foundation to stand upon, prior to any 
obedience of ours, and as the grand spring and motive of obedience. 
This sets our interest in the covenant or promise of God upon a 
foundation very clear and solid. 

‘9. To understand rightly the Epistle to the Romans, it is farther 
necessary to observe ; that the apostle considers mankind as obnox- 
ious to the Divine wrath, and as standing before God, the Judge of 
all. Hence it is, that he uses forensic, or law terms, usual in Jewish 
courts ; such as the LAW, RIGHTEOUSNESS or JUSTIFICA- 
TION, being JUSTIFIED, JUDGMENT to CONDEMNATION, 
JUSTIFICATION of LIFE, being made SINNERS, and being made 
RIGHTEOUS. These I take to be forensic or court terms; and 
the apostle, by using them, naturally leads our thoughts to suppose 
a court held, a judgment-seat to be erected by the most High God, 
in the several cases whence he draws his arguments. For instance; 
chap. v. 12—20. he supposes Adam standing in the court of God, 
after he had committed the first transgression ; when the judgment, 
passed upon him for his offence, came upon all men to condemnation ; 
and when he-and his posterity, by the favour and in the purpose of 
God, were again made righteous, or obtained the justification of life. 
Again, chap. iv. he supposes Abraham standing before the bar of 
the Supreme Judge; when, as an idolater, he might have been con- 
demned ; but, through the pure mercy of God, he was justified, par- 
doned, and taken into God’s covenant, on account of his faith. He 
also supposes, chap. iii. 19—29. all mankind standing before the uni- 
versal Judge, when Christ came into the world. At that time nei- 
ther Jew nor Gentile could pretend to justification, upon the foot of 
their own works of righteousness; having both corrupted them- 
selves, and come short of the glory of God. Butat that time, both 
had righteousness or salvation prepared for them in 2 Redeemer; 
namely, the righteousness which results from the pure mercy or 
grace of God; “the Lawgiver and Judge. And so:both, (instead of 
being destroyed, ) had admittance into the church and ‘covenant of 
God, by faith, in order to their eternal salvation. 

10. But, besides these three instances, in which he supposes a 
court to be held by the Supreme Judge, there is a fourth to which 
he points, chap. ii. 1—17. and that is, the final judgment, or the 
court which will be held in the day when God will judge the secrets 
of men by Jesus Christ. And it is with regard to that future court 
of judicature, that he argues, chap. ii. 1-17, But in the other 


334 ROMANS.—CHAP. XVI. 


cases, whence he draws his arguments, he supposes the courts of 
judicature to be already held: and, consequently, argues in relation 
to the economy, constitution, or dispensation of things in this present 
world. This is very evident with regard to the court, which he 
supposes to be held when our Lord came into the world, or when 
the Gospel-constitution was erected in its full glory. For, speaking 
of the justification which mankind then obtained through the grace 
of God in Christ, he expressly confines that justification to the pre- 
sent time, chap. iil. 26. Zo demonstrate, I say, his righteousness, Ev 
NYN xaipp, at the PRESENT TIME. This plainly distinguishes 
the righteousness, or salvation, which God then exhibited, from that 
righteousness or justification, which he will vouchsafe in the day of 
judgment, to pious and faithful souls. c 

11. Before the coming of our Lord, the peculiar kingdom of God 
was confined to the Jewish nation, and to such only of the heathens 
as were incorporated among them by becoming Jews, and observing 
the whole law of Moses?. And the Jews firmly believed it would 
always continue in the same state. . 

But when our Lord came, the mystery of God, which had been 
concealed both from Jews and Gentiles, was revealed; namely, that 
the Gentiles also, even men of all nations, should be freely admitted 
into it. This was an act of great favour, considering the darkness, 
idolatry, and wickedness, into which the heathen world was then 
sunk, “a 

But God mercifully passed over their former sins; and our Lord 
commissioned his apostles, and particularly St. Paul, to promulge a 
general pardon; and to call, or invite, all who repented, and accept- 
ed of the grace, to all the blessings and privileges of his kingdom ; 
confirming their interest in those blessings, by pouring out the Holy 
Ghost upon them, in various miraculous gifts, or endowments above 
the ordinary capacity of men. This wasa very evident seal to them, 
{and to us too,) of a title to the blessings of God’s kingdom and cove- 
nant, Gal. iii. 2—5. ‘ 

And it had such an effect upon the Christian Jews at Jerusalem, 
that though they were at first greatly disgusted at Peter, for treat- 
ing the first uncircumcised Gentile converts as members of the king- 
dom of God, (Acts xi. 2, 3.) yet, when they heard that the Holy 
Ghost was fallen upon those converts, they were much surprised, 
and'glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted 
(the benefit of) repentance unto (eternal) life; which, before this, 
they verily believed, could not have been granted unto them without 
obedience to the law of Moses, by being circumcised. 

But the unbelieving Jews paid no regard to this, or any other argu- 
ment in favour of the uncircumcised Gentiles. The notion of admit- 
_ ting them into the kingdom and congregation of God, only upon faith 
in Christ, they opposed and persecuted every where, with great zeal 
and bitterness. And it was not long before good impressions wore 
off, and old prejudices revived, among even the believing Jews, 
Numbers of them very stiffly, and with much warmth and conten- 
tion, endeavoured to persuade the Gentile converts, that, except they 


ROMANS.—CHAP. XVI. 338 


were circumcised after the manner of Moses, they could not be saved, or 
admitted to the privileges of the kingdom of God, and the hope of 
eternal life, Acts xv. 1, 2. 

The Gentiles, even the most learned and wise se amongst them, were 
wholly ignorant in the affair. They were perfect strangers to the 
Gospel scheme, they had no notion or expectation of being received 
into the kingdom and covenant of God; and could have no know- 
ledge of it, but what they received from some or other of the Jews: 
uor could they have any objection against it, worth regarding, but 
what came from that quarter. And the Jews had a considerable 
influence among them, having synagogues in most, if not-all, the 
great towns in the empire, from the Euphrates, as far as Rome itself: = 
which oumbers of the ‘Gentiles frequented, and so had received im- 

ions in favour of the Jewish religion. 

But had the Jewish notion prevailed, that no partof mankind could 
have any share in the blessings of God’s covenant, the pardon of sin, 
and the hope of eternal life, but only such as were circumcised, and 
brought themselves under obligations to the whole law of Moses; 
had this notion prevailed, the extensive scheme of the Gospel would 
have been ruined, and the gracious design of freeing the church 
from the embarrassments of the law of Moses, would have been de- 
feated. The Gospel, or glad tidings of salvation, must not only have 
been confined to the narrow limits of the Jewish peculiarity, and 
clogged with all the ceremonial observances belonging to it, which, 
to the greatest part of mankind, would have been either impractica- 
ble, or excessively incommodious; but, which is still worse, must 
have sunk and fallen with that peculiarity. Had the Gospel been 
built upon the foundation of the Jewish polity, it must have been 
destroyed, when that was demolished; and the whole kingdom of 
God in the world, would have been overthrown and extinct at the 
game time; and so all the noble principles it was intended to inspire, 
to animate, and comfort our hearts, would have been lost; and all 
the light it was calculated to diffuse, throughout the world, would 
have been quite extinguished. 

It was, therefore, the apostle’s duty to vindicate and assert the 
truth of the Gospel, which he was commissioned to preach to the 
Gentiles; and of very great consequence to vorove, thai we Gentiles 
are the children of God, interested in his covenant; and all the 
honours, blessings, and privileges-of his family and kingdom here upon 
earth ; only by faith in Christ, without coming under any obligations 
to the law of Moses as such. Which is the main drift and subject of 
this epistle. 

12, it is worth notice, that there is this difference, in one respect, 
between the Gospels and Epistles; namely, That our Lord, in the 
Gospels, represents the doctrines and principles of the Christian 
religion, chiefly in an absolute sense; or as they are in themselves. 
But in the Epistles, those doctrines and principles are chiefly consi- 
dered in a relative view; as they respect, partly, the foregoing Jew- 

_ish dispensation, and partly, the future corruption of the Christian 
church: but principally as they respect the different state of Jews 


336 ROMANS.—CHAP. XVI. 


and Heathens; showing how just, true, and necessary, they are with 
reference to both, and directing and exhorting both to value them, 
and to make a right use of them. This was absolutely necessary to 
2 full explication of the Gospel, to guard it against all objections, and 
to give it a solid establishment in the world. rye Me 

And we must not forget, that in the Epistle to the Romans the Gos- 
pel is presented in this relative view, as adapted to the circumstances 
of us Gentiles, and obliging us to all virtue and piety. - 

13. Farther, we can neither duly value this epistle, nor be sensi- 
ble how much we are indebted to the author of it, unless we make 
this sentiment familiar to our thoughts: namely, That St. Paul is 
the patron and defender of all that is by far the most valuable and im- 
portant to us in the world, against the only opposition that could be 
made to our title and claim. Give me leave to explain this by an 
easy comparison.—A person, to me unknown, leaves me at his death 
1000/. a year ; I myself can have no objection against the noble do- 
native ; and the good pleasure of the donor, who had an undoubted 
* right to dispose of his own, may silence any of the cavillers’ surmi- 
ses. Buta person claiming, as heir at law, gives me the greatest 
uneasiness. He alleges, the estate was entailed, and that he has a 
prior title, which renders the donation to me invalid. Here I want 
an able advocate, to prove that his pretensions are ill grounded, and 
that my title is perfectly good and firm. St. Paul is that advocate : 
he argues and strongly proves, that we, believing Gentiles, have a 
just and solid title to all the blessings of God?s covenant; and effect- 
ually establishes us in possession of all the noble principles, motives, 
comiort, hope, and joy of the Gospel. The sum of what he demon- 
strates, is comprehended in 1 Pet.ii. 8,9, 10. They; the Jews, stum- 
ble, and lose their ancient honours and privileges; but ye Gentiles, 
are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar 
people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who has called you 
out of heathenish darkness, into his marvellous light. Thus, on the 
authority of God, we Gentiles have an indisputable right to all the 
blessings of the Gospel; and if we receive by Christ Jesus, that 
grace which pardons and cleanses the soul, we shall pass from the 
church militant into the church triumphant. 

* At the conclusion of my notes on this very important epistle, I 
feel it necessary to make a few additional remarks. I have sincerely 
and conscientiously given that view of the apostle’s work which [ 
believe to be true and correct. I am well aware, that many great 
and good men have understood this portion of Divine revelation dif- 
ferently, in many respects, from myself: they have the same right 
of private judgment which I claim; and to publish those opinions 
which they judge to accord best with their views of the Gospel. 
My business is to give what I think to be the mind of my author; 
and every where I have laboured to do this without even consulting 
any pre-established creed. I hope my readers will take in good 
part what is honestly intended. I wish to avoid controversy : I give 
my own views of Divine truth. The planou which I have endea- 
voured to expound this epistle shows it a beautiful, highly important, 


ROMANS.—CHAP. XVI. 337 


and consistent whole: a work which casts the clearest light on the 
grand original designs of God, relative to the diffusion of the Gospel, 
and its blessings over the face of the earth: illustrating many appa- 
rently dark and unaccountable providences; fully proving that, 
though clouds and darkness are often round the Supreme Being, yet 
righteousness and judgment are the habitation of his throne. Where 
this grand view of this epistle is not taken, the major part of its 
beauties are Jost. God, who is not the God of the Jews only, but 
also of the Gentiles, shows by his apostle in this admirable epistle, 
that from the beginning he had purposed to call the whole Gentile 
world to that salvation which he appeared for a time to restrain to 
the Jews alone: and which they imagined should be exclusively 
theirs for ever. This prejudice the apostle overturns: and shows 
that the Gentiles also had an equal share in the election of grace.— 
We should be careful how we make that partial and exclusive which 
shows the Fountain of goodness to be no respecter of persons, or 
even, ultimately, of nations: who, like the sun, the faint, though 
brightest image of his glory in this lower world, shines equally upon 
the just and the unjust. God, with the same benevolent design, 
orders his Gospel to be preached to every creature under heaven. 
The peculiar phraseology of this epistle I have also endeavoured 
to explain ; and where this could not be conveniently done in the 
notes, I have generally stated it at the end of the chapters. And 
for the explanations of difficult points, or articles which may have 
been but slightly handled in the notes,1 beg to refer to those con- 
cluding observations ; and particularly to those at the end of chap- 
ters vill. and ix. . But it is necessary to make some remarks on 
this epistle, as an epistle directed to the Romans; that is, to the 
church of God founded at Rome. Though the Gospel was preached 
and established there long before either the apostle had visited this 
city, or written this epistle ; yet we may rest assured that the doc- 
trine contained here was the doctrine of the church of Rome, and 
therefore that church was holy and apostolic. If it do not continue 
to walk by thesame rule, and mind the same thing, it is no longer 
so; in a time, then, when the Roman church that now is, invites 
the attention of the Christian world by making great and’ bold 
pretensions; assuming to itself the titles of holy, catholic, and apos- 
tolic; representing Rome as the fountain whence pure truth and 
apostolical authority emanate; it may be useful to examine whether 
such pretensions are well founded ; and not permit confident assump- 
tion, noise, and parade, to carry away our understandings ; and oc- 
cupy the place of reason, argument, and truth. This, however, 
cannot be done to any extent in this place; only it may be necessary 
to state, that as the doctrines, &c. of the Roman church, profess to 
be apostolic, they must be found in the Epistle to the Romans, this 
being the only apostolic work directed to that church. If they are 
not to be met with here, it would be absurd to look for them any 
where else. But there is not one distinguishing doctrine or practice 
of the Romish church, found in this epistle. Here is no pope, no 
exclusive churchship, no Peterpence, first-fruits, legatine levies, dis- 
29 


~ 


338 ROMANS.—CHAP. XVI. 


pensations, pardons, indulgences, reliques, Agnus Dei’s, jubileex, 
pilgrimages, crusades, carnivals, canonizations, abbies, monasteries, 
cells, shrines, privileged altars, auricular confessions, purgatories, 
masses, prayers for the-dead, requiems, placebos, dirges, lamps, 
processions, holy water, chrisms, baptism of bells; justification by 
works, penances, transubstantiation, works of supererogation, ex- 
treme unction, invocation of saints and angels, worship of images, 
crossings of the body, rosaries, albs, stoles, &c. nor the endless orders 
of priests, abbots, monks, friars, nuns, anchorets, hermits, capuchins, 
&c. &c. Here are no inquisitions, no writs de heretico comburen- 
do, no auto da fés, no racks, gibbets, tortures, nor death in all varia- 
ble and horrid forms, for those who may differ from this mother 
church, in any part of their religious creed. In vain will the rea- 
der look into this epistle for any thing that is not consistent with 
sound sense, inflexible reason, and the justice, purity, and endless 
benevolence of the great God, the equal Father of the spirits of all 
flesh. Here, indeed, he will see the total fall and degeneracy of all 
mankind, strongly asserted and proved; the utter helplessness of 
the human race, to rescue itself from this state of corruption; the 
endless mercy of God in sending Christ Jesus into the world to die 
for sinners; the doctrine of justification by faith in the blood of the 
Lamb ; regeneration by the energy of the Divine Spirit, producing 
that holiness without which no man can see God. Here, the sacri- 
ficial death of Jesus Christ takes place of all Jewish sacrifices, and 
works or sufferings of man, in reference to justification. Here is 
nothing puerile, nugatory, or superstitious; no dogma degrading to 
the understanding; no religious act unworthy of the spirit and dig- 
nity of the Gospel; nothing that has not the most immediate ten- 
dency toenlighten the mind, and mend the heart of man: in a word, 
avery thing is suitable to the state of man, and worthy of the ma~- 
jesty, justice, and benevolence of that God, from whom this epistle 
came. Here, indeed, is the model of a pure church. What a pity 
it is not more closely followed by all, whether Protestant or Popish, 
that profess the faith of Christ crucified! Alas! that a church 
which was once pure and apostolic, and still retains all the essential 
doctrines of the Gospel, should compound them with others, which 
are not only the commandments and inventions of men, but which 
so counteract the influence of the truths still retained, as to destroy 
their efficacy; and no wonder, when this foreign admixture is an 
assemblage of rites and ceremonies, borrowed partly from the Jews, 
and partly from the ancient heathens: rendered palatable by a small 
proportion of Christianity. 

The reader will observe, that in the attempt to illustrate this diffi- 
cult and most important epistle, I have levied contributions in all 
quarters.—Jews, Christians, Heathens, Fathers, schoolmen, orthodox 
and heterodox, have all contributed their quota. I sought the light 
of truth, and was regardless whose hand held the lamp. 


Tros tyriusque mihi nullo discrimine agetur. 
En. 1. ver. 574. 


ROMANS.—CHAP. XVI _ 339 


To divines and critics, both on the continent, and in our own country, 
Tam under great obligation ; and this obligation I have felt gratified 
in acknowledging, whenever an opportunity presented itself:—but 
to no man am I underso much obligation as to the late Dr. John 
Taylor of Norwich. No man, previous to his time, ever studied this 
epistle so closely, or understood it so well. He alone was the first 
who set all its parts in a consistent, edifying, and glorious light, as 
far as its grand nature and design areconcerned. On his plan alone, 
this epistle can be interpreted ; those who have had the rashness to 
say, (because his religious creed and theirs happened to differ,) ** Dr. 
T. kuew nothing of this epistle; and his key far from opening, has 
locked it ;?? are worthy of no regard; they are either too weak, or 
too prejudiced, to be able to discern truth, unless it come to them 
through the medium of their own preconceptions. Such persons 
would refuse the water of life, if not brought to them in their own 
pitcher. [I have now only to add, that a reimpression of this epistle 
being now called for, the first being entirely sold off, I have carefully 
revised the whole, and have found little to alter; and not one sen= 
tence either in the introductory matter, or in the notes themselves, 
that I can either in conscience or honour expunge. A.C, 
Millbrook, January 23, 1818, 


A SHORT EXPLANATION 


OF THE FOLLOWING 


ANCIENT ROMAN CALENDAR, 


WITH THE 


FESTIVALS, &c. OF THE PRESENT ROMISH CHURCH. 


—>ro<e- 


INSTEAD of Chronological Tables, which the subject of this epistle 
neither admits nor requires, for it was probably all written in the 
course of a few days; (and I have entered the supposed year at the 
commencement of the Epistle,) I here insert the ancient Roman Ca- 
lendar, regularly distinguished into all its Calends, JVones, and Ides, 
with the different festivals observed in honour of their gods, goddesses, 
&c. in each month, and their principal astronomical notes. The modern 
Roman Calendar | have also introduced. with as many of the festi- 
vals, saints? days, &c. as the margin would receive. The reader 
will, no, doubt, be struck with the conformity that subsists between 
ancient and modern Rome on this subject; on which, in this place, f 
shall make no farther remarks. 

This Calendar, which was made by Julius Cesar, in the year of 
Rome 708, and before Christ 45, is still exceedingly useful, especially 
for understanding the writers of antiquity, particularly those of the 
Latin church ; as wellasfor ascertaining the precise dates of bulls, 
diplomas, and public acts in general. 

The Roman month, the reader will observe, is divided into Calends,, 
JVones, and Ides ; all of which are reckoned backward. The Calends 
are the first day of the month; as Calendis Janwarits, is the first day 
of January; Pridie Calendarum, or Calendas, is the 31st of Decem- 
ber ; iti. Cal. the 30th; iv. Cal. the 29th; v. Cal. the 28th, &c. 

The Nones, which are four, follow the Calends; as iv. Vonas Ja- 
nuarit, is Jan. 2. ii. Nonas Januari, is Jan. 3. Pridie Nonas Jan. 
is Jan. 4. and Wonas Januarii, is Jan. 5. But in March, May, July, 
and October, there are Six JVones. 

After these, the Ides in each month are eight; as viii. Id. Jan. 
(Octavo Idus, or Iduum Januarii,) is January the 6th; vii. Id. Jan. 
(Septimo Idus, or Iduum Januarii,) is January the 7th ; vt. Id. Jan. 
(sexto Idus, or Iduum Januarii,) is January the 8th; and so on, till 
you come to the Ides themselves, Idibus Januarit, being January 
the 13th. 


EXPLANATION OF THE CALENDAR. 342 


Observe—1. When the accusative case is used, as Vonas, Idus, 
Calendas, the preposition ante, before, which governs this case, is 
understood ; as tertio ante Calendas, the third day before the Calends ; 
quarte ante Calendas, the fourth day before the Calends, &c. Ob- 
serve—2. That after the Ides which are on the 13th day of January, 
February, April, June, August, September, November, and December ; 
and on the 15th of March, May, July, and October, which have six 
Nones a-piece, the Culends following are to be reckoned to the next 
month. 

The first column in each month, contains the regular days of that 
month; the next column, the Calends, Nones, and Ides; and the 
slightest inspection will show how the days of these denominations 
answer to the common days of the month in their regular order. 

The Nundinal Letters 1 have not inserted, as they oniy refer to 
~the custom of administering law, or trying causes, holding public as- 
semblies, electing magistrates, &c. among the ancient Romans. I 
have thought it best to fill up that place with other matters belong- 
ing to this calendar, in which general readers might find more interest. 

The last column, the reader will perceive, is the modern Roman 
Calendar, copiously filled with the days of real and reputed saints ; 
these, however, are not the whole whose festivals are observed, and 
whose protection is implored in that church; as, upon an average, 
there are not fewer than jive of these real or imaginary beings to 
every day of the year! 

The Saiuts’ days and Festivals of the Romish church are taken 
from Mr, Alban Butler’s Lives of the Sainis, (one of the best publi- 
cations of this kind,) conferred with the Connaissance des Temps, 
edited by La Lande. 

The ancient Roman Calendar has been taken chiefly from Jins- 
worth ; the two copies, one English, the other Latin, in his second 
yolume, being collated together, and mutually corrected. 


we 


ANCIENT ROMAN CALENDAR. 


snp[eg ‘oopreyy ‘sudo 

Bune ‘seprepeg 

sa[Bg JO sepltg ‘srouely 
“[OAg ‘ouseurepmyD 
snieyy ‘uroysosXigy “¢ 
uouog ‘eyneg ‘divodjog 
oddog ‘oyjody ‘snyoofo1g 
oopry ‘sepAqug ‘Aqjoury, 
snsuojsoply ‘punuAey 
sniseysRuy ‘jueouT A 
snyqng ‘snueqdidg ‘sousy 
uryoog ‘unyseqeg ‘uRiqeoT 
unjs(n AA ‘Aruogy foynuRD 
ouloy ye eyo 81oyag 
syuow ay} jo “ynd Auojuy 
sniporeypy edog ‘snye10u0Fy 
qauoly sy O43 [NV 
sequg ‘xog ‘Arey 
wes quoy ‘eo1u010 A 
poey “ouueg ‘sniprory 
‘snursAzy ‘snisopooy,y, 
unin ‘oujesy ‘met 
‘urjayy ‘vueoreyy Suen 
vSog ‘snuussog ‘sununjody 
oupry ‘ppad ‘uerony 
tourure| IN ‘snruepoyy 
tonopouds ‘sey Ag uoourig 
uouny Yreqosny ‘snj1y, 
OAaTAOUOD ‘wEERg *d 
pivpopy ‘snunoryy 

UOTO 10 Of{poO ‘snynusesiny 3g 


“yonyO Ue] 10 ystu0y 
oy} Jo 
‘omy SAucy .sjUIUg 


“spod pjoyosnoy io ‘seynuag Iq oy) 07 pororg 
“198 VINIIPLY “oovog 07 porowg 
“sn sndurey oy) ut siBpy JO MouOY Ut soovI-ds10y 410 ‘BuTNbgy 


*XN[[Og PUB 10j8ULQ 04 poyworpop ofdwo,y, 


*9tI}-poos JO 48RO} 9Y} 10 ‘MIIO,7 MuNuoULEg 
*sjos (dapyzy ayy ut 1078 WystIq oy) BAATT 


‘snumnby ul ung 
‘snypiueg Aq posites paoouog yo oduoy, 
“B}OAIBOg pus ‘euIOg ‘BJUOWILD 07 poloRg 


*SNTANIOG pourvu snysndny *10701g ronda 0} perong 

“spo# proyosnoy 40 ‘sorury ay) JO ANOUOY Ut s]BAYsoy 10 “BIpAydUIOD 

0} paynotpop ajdway, “ayUoMIE~ Jo NOUOY UL speANsay 10 “HIPRJUOWIILD 
*euingn] *J9UIM-prpy 10 ‘suedy BIpoyy 
*sosts uTgdjog OY,y, ‘sntuody Jo mouoy ut s[BAnsay 10 ‘nITRUOSY 
“royidng 03 ooytionsg 


“soatl BIArY 

‘sound om Fi Ajoyos oy) 105 19AB1g 

*o10019) JO Anp-tysigg = *sj}98 Ja0UR_ 

‘Daj saip sunMoy oy3 4q poue; ‘ABp oyBunjLoyun Uy 
‘snidejnosmy puv ‘rojdng ‘oung ‘snuep 03 parorg 


‘SUBWIOY JUoIOUT GY} Jo ‘orp ‘a[BAN}S0,7 


‘oung Jo uonoojoid oy) 1oEpUN—" AYVONVS 


‘180 9p 
‘180 Ti 


“q°d “18D XTX 
“uve SNqIPT 
snpy opiud 

spy TT 

snp] AT 

snp] A 

SupT TA 

snpl ITA 
SUPT TTA 
‘ua SILO Ny 
aBUON oIPUg 
suo SIL 


sBuON AT 
srmaues [BD 


“uoyy UBMOY 


quoroue 
oyy so shuq 


“BuO 
jo shag | 


Maeno OSH TSR SSR RAST 


343 


ANCIENT ROMAN CALENDAR. 


snuswmoy ‘snii0j01g 
rormuyjesy ‘yjouly ‘1epuvery 
snukydiog ‘103014 ‘1opuexopy 
sniresay ‘sniseaey, 
apsode ay3 sennyeyy 
[slog ‘snempisog ‘snuoig 
yeprieg ‘oredieyy 

pio, ‘uidag ‘snurtiesag 
Snuaqongy ‘ormuas4 7, 
sEqieg 10 snyaqiug 
snuosoieg ‘oary ‘uooulg 
uButory ‘urAlig ‘uBrARy TT 
oouny, ‘eueyng ‘snutsouQ 
eyaor ‘prysig ‘snuysne7 
uBluog ‘olny ‘oujueye A 
doumOpOT ‘oueyVD 
Byeng ‘snyopepy “orpeusg 
sRUMAADg ‘snUIUINIEg 
WenILA ‘Bonsepoyos 
preyig ‘jtoqsuy ‘neryery, 
jneg ‘ueunpng ‘ueydayg 
Sniopoayy, ‘pranwoy 


snputary ysepo, ‘Ayjol0g 1g 


snyta ‘uedeg jo siAqiByA 
uepeyg ‘oroprsy ‘A0q(t9 
asinqgoi9 AA ‘ase[g 
Ainqioqueg jo -dqe aouemne'y 
Buu ‘woqanig ‘sniyeusy 3g 


“WOINYO Uyery 10 ysrur0 zy 
apy Jo 
“o7y ‘sing siuieg 


__ ‘ouroos0A0 sumnbsey, oy, 
‘sniqivyy sndweD oy} Ui seowi-osi0y 10 ‘numba 


ary Jo aonid oy, ‘auloy ulory sdury oy} Jo QuoUTYSIURG 10 ‘UINIsNyIdexT 
‘e]Hxessrg | 


*SNUNUIOT, JO INOUOY Ut sRANSOy IO ‘BIPeUTUNIO,T, 

*sjUasoid [UNNU JO UONNGISIp oY} 10} OWOY 3B S[eatysay 10 “eysUBYO 
*prap aq3 jo anou] ‘Q0UATIS JO Ssapposd 10 ‘BNP 
-OY Ul BVAT|SOF 10 *xBUIO,J JO INOUOY Ut SpRATsEy 10 ‘RITROeUIOYT 
“Sn{NWOY JO MOUOY Ut spBATsey IO ‘eIpaUIAINe 

*“sodsig ul ung 

‘uBg JO InouoY UI syeansay 10 ‘nIpeorodnTy 

, ‘astt Quediag pue ‘10;819 ‘Mog oY, 

‘NUT 93 JO 1jYysne[Sg ‘JojIdn¢e pure snuneg 0} por0oEg 


BRIO T 


‘SQUIRE OI[BIUOD “SasIt SnAINjory 10 ‘xnTAydozo1y 


“Burids Jo yuowsousuui0 9 


snuenby “Ajunod sty jo oye 10 ‘aiuyeg 101egq pourRUINs snysnsny 

*sostt] ‘sjos urgdjoq 
“498 UOI'T atf} JO a[pprul oy} pues Bsdry 

*royidne 0} suapiq] 

UMNIOYMUOVS OT, “OAOIS VIL] B UT PoywIqe[oo owoy ye speAnsyy ‘BUBONTT 


*SUBLIOY JUSIOUR aly JO “2 ‘s[nANsoT 


‘aunjdayy JO UoKje}01d a1 J9pPUg—" AUVOUNAAA 


‘18D oping 
‘120 iI 

TO Al 

12 A 

TRO TA 

180 IIA 
"120 IA 
‘120 XI 

120 X 

‘180 1X 

‘180 11K 
"180 THX 
“TRO ATX 
180 AX 
“TEL "PO TAX 
*qoq SNqIpy 
snp] Opi 
snp III 

SP] AT 

snpy A 

snp] TA 

snp] ITA 
snp] TILA 
“2, SLO NT 
SBVUO NT oIpug 
SBUON Ti 
SBUONT AT 
sIueniqeay [BO 


"yUOyY UBIO" 
quatous 


ay} jo shag 


MAM HNOrOR 


jo sheq 


“UO 


ANCIENT ROMAN CALENDAR. 


344 


seyeqoy ‘Ang ‘uturefuog 
snjnsoy Jo jneny ‘snulisozy 


yey ‘sojsvsoury ‘svuop yg 
“ry snixig edog |” 
}} -oy 40 yrodnyy ‘yrwoy ay} uyos 


uBsjU0y * 


qoq] « ‘ounerg ‘aespury 4g 
: ‘WA‘@ UouBpunuuy 
nourg ‘ums jo "dq sneatiesy 
DIBAfopyL ‘UBLOIOL A 
aULVYLD ‘Tory “LEVY IS 
snopug ‘sucidviag ae14) OY, 
: Una AA 39qyIND 
punwory adosog 4g 
paso Swyesay ‘preapy sury 
vayjnuay jo ydosor ‘youeg 
jadop ay unr ‘ueyne ag 
Ainpy ‘Arveyouyz, adog 
UIqn’y ‘SIpINPL, wwanH 
pleiey ‘snioydoory 48 
qBoiyy ayy Asod019 odog 
snéug7 ‘sniojng 3S 
ajseqog JO SiA}LeW QP 
ess{yy jo A10za1g ‘uniotg 
uvuog ‘nsoy Syeyng 
sejlojag ‘wnjedieg 
ulopiuy ‘sunsepolyD 
Jozoy ‘epvoig ‘uriery 
ueupy ‘puejog jo ‘id nunseg 
ayyvuery ‘sopundeunp 
uBavor ‘poor ay] soprByD 
snuiqiy ‘ueuopy ‘plaeq "3S 


? A * 


“yunout auguaay eu uo ‘auviq 10 ‘WOOP O11} 03 paroRg 
3 “oonog pus ‘y)[BOy “pioauog ‘snuee 07 pooeg 


-ajaqhQ Jo mnouoY ut souEs Jo ‘ersolRsoy 
“BUpUBKATY JO Jo}SVUL J[esuNY epeul vse”) 


on ie JOYJOW oy} Jo NoUoY UI s[BANsey 10 “vO ‘xoumMbo jewo9A 
*spo. , : 
Hae ssjoduinyy yytA\ Worssod0rd WULE[0S 10 ‘oMASN GL, 


‘sjos snseSog -Ainjuag oy) Jo Avp ysiy ony, 


BAY IOJ poNUUOD BJ “BAIOUIPY JO MoUOY uy peaysey 10 “vyenbuMpH 
*sfep] ‘saly Url Ung 
jo mouoy ur vuOsY ‘snyooeg Jo MouoY UT speaysay 10 ‘BIPRAeqUT 
"SaSL SQIA[IY ‘sntuosy] *8]08 UOIdIONg EY) JO e[PPITAL 
‘gost odioog ‘aplouieg eyy, “Buuelog Buu 0} polovg 

“1OqLT, ay) JO syuLq oy uodn saoei-esi0y Jo ‘viumMby puodas oy,1, 

"Bag ay} Jo duruedo 04,7, 


*SOSU YS ULOYON ayy, “Sasl1 UOLIG, 

“Sas UAOAD OY,], 

‘ronidnfoa jo ojduiey, *sasti snsesog 

ysoud-ysty poyeosro wBsaZ snyne *BISeA Jo s}SBAT 

‘SOSIL BOULD ‘SUSU 1OJUIULOpUaA “sJaB SHANjOLY 10 ‘xejAqdojory 
‘895 YST,q puodes ay,T, 

“pod ours] “RUION'T 0} potoRg *iojidug Jo Ig 
ayy JO MMouoy ur “eIpouUy “sIB]Y JO Mouoy ul speaNsoey 10 ‘vipeuO.ye YY 


“yomMYO UNRT 10 ysTU0y 
oy} jo 
“aay ‘sduqy ,sjureg 


“‘SUDULOY JUQIOUT OYJ Jo “o7p ‘spBANSAT 


*BAIOUIY, JO U0T}00}01d Or} LOEpPU— HOUVN 


ae 


a 


180 ODE 
TO Eh 
[O.AI 


“TRO A 


‘TRO TA 
[80 11A 
180 TILA 
‘120 XI 

TO xX 

120 IX 

10 1X 
‘120 TUX 
T8O AIX 
‘T2O AX 
120 TAX 
“dy “180 TIAX 
“IRA, SOqIP] 
Snpy OIplig 
snpy Til 

snp] At 

snp) A 

snp TA 

snpt ITA 
snp] TILA 
“IBTL sTu0 N 
SBuUON SIP 
SVuONy Bay 
stuo ND Al 
seuo NT A 


SBUON [A 


sTmIOT “Te 


‘WUOp, uBUIOy 
querque 
ay) Jo SAB 


‘MUO | pamwinorac 
Jo shvg | 


345 


ANCIENT ROMAN CALENDAR. 


onty ‘orydog ‘oumeyyo— 
yangy “soqoy Sauqouly 
OT[Od ‘UBUOAD ‘sIDAT A 
snisTysnUy ‘nig, ‘snurmioy 
qoqpoy ‘sniunyony ‘sno1O 
Bray 4epoduaagy or 440A. 
auog ‘Snel ‘StOPIT 
ainqy ‘IAEA oY) OF1009 
‘sopiuoory ‘sopuzy ‘o10g 
ouong soya Ey ‘o1posuy 

sours Sylog ‘seudy ig 

plug ou ofoydigy “Rd oory adog 

upiiaynry ‘uIpreEy Is 

uooung ‘snjoorry odog 

uonigg ‘essosuing jo s1Aj10 fy 
unypeny ‘ossrpieng ‘epunyy 
yozouog ‘sndany ‘sayanqty, 
oopainy ‘pysououe fy 

anion ‘oqo, ‘anqug ‘ousz ag 

sadyuy ‘yeorg oy) oor olog 
Sop Yoo ‘snwoepug 
JoyONTy ‘oyJOG OpnAylRAA 
qwoqry “yy AA ‘sniskuoigy 

qoqry ‘unui ‘snddisosopy 1g 

WBITTAA GUIpUET Jo BxAQAT Ay 
‘youuont 7, “so10¢ ‘yuoour, 
unoeg | ony ‘10prsy 
aMjoorny ‘unidiy) Sodnsy 
‘ayounOIg Saqquy ‘ueidy 

Hogry ‘omen ‘TINH “38 


*YoInYyH uNeyT 10 Ystu0yy 
oy jo 
soap ‘skal sium 


MVUNUOIN'T Way OY, “BUNDIVg 780A 04 porns 
‘shop xt# 10} VIO JO NOUOY Ut soUNRA TO SAT/VIOLT 

‘sI[BNyary Aoudng yo MOUOY UT spBAy sey UNDT 10 ‘muUNDTyT e107 
*SOBII JBOD OUT, 

‘osIqny 10 OFIqoY Jo anouoy ut sfBANsey 10 “DI~URIGOrY 
*s)08 soy | “mn Jo Uononyse(T 
‘snUoA PUR AoyIdnp Jo spoANsoy 10 “UIfUUTA 4814 OLLI, 


“Aurads-pryy 
*sosts Jog oy, 


INoUOY Ut SfVANsoJ IO ‘uYMUOFY ‘sopVg JO ANOUOY UT B[BAT SOy 10 “DITTO 
‘ouoy jo Aup-yyig “sniuody jo) : 
sninn,y, Ut ing 


‘soxoy OY} JO FuruANg oy puv ‘snorTo oy Ut soonI-os10Y4 10 ‘uLINDoL 


jos sopvAyy ‘zo10duigg poynyus snjanginy 
*POOYTLOVS OAOM JRO TTA SAO ULOLOIM B[BATHOY 10 ‘UIPLOIpLogy 


*Ayoquy pur ‘10,01, Joydnp 07 poroug 
OULOY OF IYANOIG LOYJOUL yoOIT At, 


*SNSIOL 0} poyworpap sNOITO oy)) 
UL sOWNDA IO ‘KOBUBOMI_ IPT ‘sO1OH Jo anoUOY Ut S[RATBey 10 ‘uI;nOIOD 
408 UOUG pur DIqiry “BRO_ JO AIOJOTA tT} 19) SOUIDE) 
‘oVO[A pur ‘soyni90g ‘oyjody jo Aup-yig, 
“nung jo Anp-yuligg ‘ouNng1O,T O1[qQNg 07 potoUg 


‘skap B10 105 ofaqdD JO anouoy ur sound 10 ‘niso[seTH 


308 sopalofd OUT, 
*s}08 uoIdio0g “‘ouNTIO,y OTA pur ‘snue,A 03 poroNg 


*‘sUNMIOY WUOTOUR Oy) JO “o7p ‘s[VATSO,T 


“snudA JO UoNoojo1d oy) LEpPUQ—TIWAV 


‘180 o1pud 
‘(°O TIT 
180 AI 

TOA 
‘TO TA 
TO ITA 
“18 THA 
‘T!O XI 
TO X 
“18D IX 
“18D TIX 
‘180 THX 
TRO ATX 
“180 AX 
‘120 TAX 
‘T80 TIA 
‘VOW TNA 
ad snqipy 
snp opud 
SNpy TIT 
snpl Al 
snpl A 
spy fA 
snprqtA 
spl TILA 

"ady stuo jy 

SBUON oIpud 
snuON TIT 
SRUON AT 

aydy [8D 


“UO UDULO’ 


quorouR 
oy Jo HAD 


MUOW | aanmwsornaa 


jo shaq 


ANCIENT ROMAN CALENDAR. 


346 


sngueg “ayruoned 1S 


ue} [nse “xtog edog ‘ 
woun) Lure) Ninuitaloyg TO AI} 66" 
o1ug ‘snueuues TRO A| 8 4 
ani peer dod Seog “ostt sepa » TRO TA | Le 
puvysug jo *sodu ‘ougsusny ig umusngrsay puooss ayy, “e}98 ‘sninjo1y 10 ‘xajAydoyory 18D TIA | 9% 
ueqiyy “TTA AroZory adog ‘sasta BINby ‘auNyJOy Jo ofduray, "POIMA) & 
quoour, ‘uvnesoy ‘ueyeu0g TO XI} 
sniopisag “ayng | "wRofnA Jo mu03 oyy, *moduinsy rT UOIssoooId UWOTOS 10 ‘WMASNTIQN,y, ‘TRO XX] &3 
snysep ‘jeuog ‘oqog ‘oax | ‘sost Soq ayy, ‘r0jtdnt] ‘Te IX | 2 
snnidsoyy 10 sidsog ‘oupos 8A 10 ‘staoloA 0} polovg “shIuOsY Jo nouoY Ur speANsoy 10 ‘eIpRUOSYy "T2O TIX) 16 
ogy “urprbuiog = <' TEO TMX | 06 
Buonuopng ‘unsung “Furuiasy ur ung T8O AIX] 61 
anturue, ‘uowRjog ‘out T2O AX] ST 
uopeny ‘avopy ‘sniprssog TEOTAX | AL 
tupuarg ‘supqy ‘snsofpaqoxy “ung ‘|B x! 91 
woqeues ‘vudwdg poroug ‘sas ezkry -syUBYoIOUT ey} Jo [BANSAg ‘“AinoIO[Y Jo Avp-IyIg “rey Suqipy | ST 
ysuiyzuy ‘snyuog ‘eoryuog =| ‘z0j1dng 07] “AINdIep] 0} poroeg “SOstI snaney, SNP] Opi | FT 
snypaleg queyls ay} uyor AOUIUUNS JO JUBUBDUOUIWIO) “ASTI SOPEIOT ef ~ snpy gr} & 
sviouvg ‘sapnaqjory ‘snupunes) *SNOITD Ol} 3B asuOAe ayy ‘sIBpY 0} poloRs snpy AI} ZL 
[noreyy ‘snyiourore py ‘uo A1ivur 0} sXep ayeunjiojug “sjos uo, snpy A} IT 
ozopisy ‘pavyoy ‘snurmojuy . snpy TA} OT 
yjoudig ‘svunopy “peep ey Jo soueur omy oscadde o} ‘syuarjsoy yy stu Jo “ermuery snp] TIA] 6 
uBngqhy ‘ueupo ‘olAA IS "SOS JBOX) OUT, SNP] TIA] 8 
susiunjs {7 yorpeueg adog "OSI BIIDIT A, “Tey Stuoyy |Z 
9789 UNv'T oY} o10Joq UYOr IG *sj98 UOIdIONg ot) Jo appa SBUON OIpug| 9 
Arepry ‘snjesuy “AQ surg adog *soSil BIAT StuUON TIT| ¢ 
pivpoy ‘wowopy ig SBUON AT] b ~ 
ss019 ATO} oY} JO UOMUOAUT ‘ostx SopuAyy pure anvjuay ory, sBuoN Al & 
sniseuvypy | ‘sos epadey ‘sfep oar} “ByRydWOD sy,y, “ast sopeAyy SCUON TA | & 
sopsody ‘soup puv diya 3g | 10f BIO], JO sour BoIUTY O43 07 posIvA IeIFyY “SSoppo3 poos om) oy, “rey ‘ye2O | T 
*YoanyO une'y so ysra0y é ‘ ‘uo uewoy | BS 
ayy Jo *SUBWIOY JUSIOUL O47 JO “o7p ‘sTeATyso,7 quoroun 33 
‘ory ‘shuq .sjueg ay} yo sku a Py 


‘o[[ody jo uoyja0}01d oy} 1opun— A VW 


347 


ANCIENT ROMAN CALENDAR. 


apsode oy} [neg 


“S80 Spd | Of 
sapjsode ot Jo aourad 190g “3G “SOSNJA] 84} PUB SalNoI0}] 03 poroNg T8O Tl | 66 
sopriseg “Ty oary edog 180 AI} 8% 
Aresunyy Jo Sury “] svpstpery ‘snus jo ofdwoy, TED A} 2% 
wromuy ‘uejoqeg ‘snipist A, *rerT pura ‘103;81g JojyIdnP 07 pores TROTA| 96 
poqpy ‘sojoyy ‘1edsoig 1g “PONSOS JOUIUING TOTIAY So 
ysndeg uyor jo Aytaney “IaQhE otf) Suoye sjonbueq poreo sdiys poumoig TEOMA! 
selusiQ jo Arepy ‘eporppoyy gy *OUNJIO,T [NJIOAOg 0} po1lveg TED KIL} &% 
UIRILIG jo "yavuLOjo1d ‘ungry *suBluaseyyieg oy} Aq poronbuoo snares, TOK) 
uvayy ‘sntqosngy ‘snishopy TROTX | 1% 
uleg ‘e5ieqepy ‘ureqoy 180 1X | 0% 
SIOAONT JO “dq o1gg ‘snIsBAsox) “sos snyontydg ‘oynfg Jo anouoy ur s7vAysey 10 “erpeueUUINg ‘180 T1IK | 61 
snainyl ‘pueuny ‘Rue yy 199UTH UL UNG “jUNOUI aUNUSAY ay} UO BAIOUTY Jo RASA T®D AIX | 8T 
SNYAY ‘URIOIBp “IopuBoTAT 12D AX] LT 
uvljemy ‘snjooraygy ‘snowing ‘snumysog Aq yy 81g 07 ynd tosjoA pus indy TBOTAX | 9T 
eane, ‘upepunry ‘sngtA. “280A JO a[dua} ay} Jo yno Zunp ayy yo Sutkiwo oY, *sesL1 UOLIQ ‘120 TIAX | SI 
snuuayy ‘yeary oy) [Iseg rosut sope dH | “INE TROTITAX | FT 
apsuyweg ‘enprg jo Auojuy ‘ung Snqipy | €T 
uevuzay, ‘snuydnug ‘oSq | Ut s[eATjsay zourM ey} 10 ‘arnosnuNM trNRNbuMe “sJoydnp ojqroulAUy snp] olplig | SL 
aysode ar suqrureg =| *BAIOUTY Jo noUOYy) “BINIVY] JOYJOTY 0} porows snpy qt} if 
puepjoog jo usanb qouwsie py *pioouog jo ojduiay, ‘ounqi0,g JnyIoMOg 03 poring sup] AL} OL 
quooura ‘eisnjeg ‘pinoy “SOSII UTYd]Oog ‘ouy 10 ‘ujnyeTq Jo InOUOY UT [LAYSOJ 10 ‘BiTeIVe YP] snpra| 6 
yiox jo -qde wenypta~a ‘nog “103}8Ig doyidnp jo my SOPITA | 8 
poqoy ‘seprioyy ‘uvuyog | -91Y “pulpy 9y3 jo ajdwiay, ‘snyzey™ sndweg oy} ut shep uBiioywasig SNP] ITA | 2 
T@4pny ‘aoovep oyy dyrmg *sj98 sniny} *nyseA Jo ajduiay, snp] TIA} 9 
snoeyjolog ‘sniptty “(eg jo ajdwoy, ‘sosuodg s0j1dn¢ 03 pasoeg ‘ung ston | ¢ 
donog ‘soouayy ‘snunimey "SNOT OY} UL Ba[NOIEF Jo oduray, | SBUON aIpUd | F 
PrBWT ‘sIPHOTD ‘snipoog “RUOTPG 07 pores svuON TIT} & 
_ snunpog ‘snusnig “snysadura,y, put ‘ejauoqy} ‘SIRI 0} polowg “asta sapRART sRuON AT} @& 
upistAA “AAQIR__ uNsNE 4g | ‘ounf op palong ‘sos ujMby “nUIBD Jo AnoUOY Ut seatjsoj IO ‘RUBqL,T ‘une ‘T@O | T 
*QOINYO Uye'yT 10 ystu0y ‘yuopY unWOY | & = 
amy jo *SUBUIOZ JUOIOUD ay} JO *d2p ‘s[PAT]sA,T quor1oue $3 
‘oop ‘sfeq ,syuleg oy Jo Shag = Ee 


*AinoIOYW] JO uoroajoid ary sapuQn—AN AL 


ANCIENT ROMAN CALENDAR, 


348 


uajeyH ‘BfoAory jo snyjeusy 
wayne ‘uouueg ‘uopqy | “ov A 04 Sutprooo8 ‘yyUOU sty} Ut] “sjos Bpinby 
xyeg dog ‘sneo ‘wyeyy “Ig | OU eUOS poyBIqatad O10 ‘ounadeNy JO INOUOY UT spBANsay 10 “oIpeUNjdepT 

roja1a odog “7 yuev0uNy odog 
uBoiny ‘{jesu0g ‘uoeleyueg “sos BINnby 
WA ‘@ Jo Jomour ouuy *8N389,J 0} Jurpi0d08v ‘1045-Fop oy} 0 pooyuoes a1eM sdOp yUOUT sit) UT 
BalLy, ‘Jo}veIZ) OY SoueP =| ~4SB[ SAULT ULISUEDIT) OY, “BULIN JO INOUOY ut s[eANsoy JO ‘uERULIN 
uvjoeg ‘vsury ‘sndnry =| “sAep xis ut) 

snuogry ‘sueumody ‘aunjdayy Jo soured ory, 

sniquq ‘quarpseyy Arey 


‘gapoxed i : 
seed ‘scat qdesop *oory uruNg. *A10j01A 8,1R8a_ 105 SADT 
euloepy ‘snyouumsg “shep inoy suse] sowed ‘vunon'y 
nowy ‘ounig ‘esoroydudg 34g pet: 
suyjaorepy ‘AT ory odog *el[[Y JO opyeq Ayonzun oy} yo Aruss9ATUUR JO ‘e1yR SoIp sIsuOITy 


“SES JOC] SOUIOIOY tf,J, 
“xN[Og PUB 10j8BD Jo [LAnSAT 
“QUN}IO,T O[VULA,T 07 poroTg 


quNEY oyy Ley ‘snupeisng 
urimag ‘xo1roduioe *yy Aruoyy 
qoinyo oy Jo "17 eANjueABUOg 
snivesng Yeung, ‘snjejeuy 


yoaqreny *f ‘xa ‘AOqUNT 3g OUNJIO, O[BUIG,T JO [VANSAT “IvS9D sung yo duping 


uvjysoig ‘y sntg adog "alt B1Y} ynoge O][ody jo mnouoy Ur soured Jo ‘sexvuyjody 1purT 

Buyny ‘sioyjorq U9AeS O4,T, *AXO] 0} ULdeq Spur UBISEI oY T, 
yoinyo ey} Jo 10j00p urerydgy *sesti snaydap 
[esnj10g jo-H weqezyy ig *ssutotofor uojueA Jo ‘onvpnaitA. 
eppey “TX yolpousg edog ‘SpIByl OY} JO [waysa,g ‘ouNL Jo AnoUOY ur speansoy 10 ‘aUNodtD 


800g 943 Jo ‘sodn snipulug ral[Ag Jo etary oy} ut ‘fouldeD ey} Jo uoNVIsEyUOD 

Jojog “Buupy ‘nuempoyy | “SolWIoUO Joy) Woy poy oUoY Jo efdoad oy) yorym ur ABp so ‘umisnyNdog 

eyneg Sequig ‘opo ‘oniQ ‘OBL sopedyy OY, “8108 UMOIL OY, 
spooyg ‘uBiiog ‘uosRyINy 1g 
“W “A Posse[q JO UOLjDzISt A 


sniouoa'y ‘wan, ‘steTEQ “Ig Joqjoue 0} Osnoy eu WOIy SuTAOWIOY 


‘18D erp 
120 Mi 
TPO AI 

ROA 
TROIA 
PO THA 
TO XT 
TOX 
TO IX 
19 TX 
T8O TTX 
TPO AIX 
TO AX 
10 TAX 
“BNW TO TAX 
“ne snqipy 


Sapp eIpid:| 


sap] Hl 
sopT AT 
BnPT AC 
SNPL TA 
snp} TIA 
§npy THA 
“Tag sIdony 
SQUON cIpug 
seuoNy JI] 
SBUONT AT 
BCUONT A 
SBUONT TA 
“Te “120 


st 
” 


MAQMtHorTDoa 


RORKAAS RARE 


“IpMYH uyeyT 1o ysiuioy 
ey Jo *SUBUIOY JUSTOUB oY} JO “O27 ‘s[BANso,y 
"omy ‘eke ,sjureg 


*yUOW URWIOY 
quersuT 
ay} jo shag 


“ao 
jo skeqy 


‘soytdng Jo uoroojord oy) LopUA— X' TAL 10 ‘SITLENIND 


ot 


349 


ANCIENT ROMAN CALENDAR. 


joquay ‘snjnuuoyy ‘punwdny 
Joyo “BUT so HOY “IG 
qagdng uqor yo UONNooog 
qoanyo oy) Jo “Ag ounsnany 
upooury Jo yanyy ‘uous 4g 
anisouoxy ‘anutdydoez, odog 
oounigy Jo Hupy “XT simory 
opsode oy MomOopoqng 
WaNoY OYy UBVUNSNE ‘sHuodTLT, 
qoqinga ‘uvpoydurag 
UDT[IUIXU PY ‘snsOUO KT 
uIMmeaQG *pavuso sg, 
sIMmory ye ly a 
o1nD ‘snjoduily ‘uopopy 
syuourg pur snyoxoqry ‘anun fA 
yooy ‘yjurondry ag 
‘WA ‘@ JO Uondunssy 
jsoud ony sntqosngy 
unresuy “woqai AA ‘angAjoddiyy 
youpomnpy ‘surdnoy ‘ornlQ 
Aiop ‘snyinbop ‘wuunang 
eoueinery Sunn rpepsned 
prang 40 Aqqvayy ‘enunu0yy 
andiury ‘sopsrumoyy ‘snondsa 
snjouog ‘unmoleg 16 
priory mo yo uonninsysunsy, 
nayy ‘anrurmoepyy ‘preasE 
snunny ‘org 4g 
SONOA Ss UOYdoig yg Jo UOTUOAUT 
uoydorg odog ‘opuppingG 48 
sNNquOODT UOADG ol/,y, 


“"TOmnyyD UHvry 10 yareroy 
oq) so 
‘o7p ‘ekogy syurag 


‘HONK UpOWOupuy ‘snotunUNOD jo Anp-yyatgy 

*poqTGiyxXo sOa— JO HUOUTTUG 

*snjs0,7 03 Zurpro99n ‘uvol—NA Jo pie et A[BAYKOF 10 ‘RITVUOTAA 
‘APUIM UDTBOIT OYF JO PUO OT, “GaNOy oI) UT ALOJOTA 07 poywoIpop siNITy 


*fourdny oy) ur BAtstOZ BdGQ 01 pong 
“UOOPT OY) JO MUA OT, 
‘UDOTNA JO InOVOY Ut spoAT sey 10 “BIPoUBOIN A 


ROLIOSATY puns oy, ‘orm A 07 Furpr099n ‘Monsns oIoULA 

‘gjo8 UATE “ORTA ULUNg “AutTg 07 Surprooov ‘apunoos nIyDUTA 
‘enjenny Jo T00C 

‘BOUIqUE oY) JO OdUyT “sNEUOD JO AMOUOY UT spwANBoy JO “HIPPNEHOD 
‘NUL Og JO ANOUOY UL s[VAN Sey 10 “NTTRUWINGIOg 


“APIVUI-4URAIOB PUT SOANTS] 

Jo ysnoj oy, ‘snumnjoA pun ‘aufory BapAg oy) ur DUDIG 07 poroTg 

“HONG Jo Suruursoq } orsodausiry 

OL “SNIUTDLT SNOATH Ot UT ‘so;NOIOFT JO UDTPANNS ynosd oy 07 porONg 
0018 UBLETNL oO) UL soLOD pu BdQ jo sIDITY 


‘{unoUT faULIN oy) UO Hodpuy OR 07 poroNg 
*s}08 snuenby jo o[pprypyy 

‘odopy 0) por0ng 

“WUNOUL [BUTLIING) OY} UO TH] BET] 04 posong 
*SO8{I OOTT JO o[pprur oyy, 


‘urndg Suinpqns s,rseg jo junooon uodn wo 
‘odoyy] 0) parovg “poyroostio9 sivpy jo ofdurey, 


“SUDMIOY JUOIOUD OY} JO *Oap ‘ePDATSA,T 


‘8910 JO UOHonord OMT OPUA—".LSADAV +0 ‘SVTLLXAS 


T8D Opi 
‘0 TT 
‘180 AT 

TOA 

‘TPO TA 

‘WO ITA 
‘T!O TTA 
‘T8O XI 

[80 X 

‘180 IX 

‘T!O TX 
“18D TTX 
TO AIX 
TO AX 
‘T8O TAX 
‘lO TAX 
‘TO THAX 
‘dog 1!) XIX 
‘any snqip] 
*  BNPT Opi 
sup TT 

SPT AI 
ANPT A 

SPT TA 

Snpl ITA 
Sp} TTA 
“Any suo yy 
SBUON OIPid 
SQUONy [TT 
BRUON AT 
‘Any ‘10D 


“QUO, UDWIOY 
queroun 
oy) Jo shag 


» 


ANCIENT ROMAN CALENDAR. 


350 


TMI) oy} JO “I Worop “1g | ‘Seutorpout Jo ssoppod orp ‘euLntpoyy JO MoUoY UT spoATsoy Xo ‘BrTeUTA}TPOYA] 
sjosure Ajoy ot} 30 80g yeory om) Aodutog 30 Acp-yaig) 
SB[SAOUO AA ‘snuednxg aqory “Bursts 8,051, JO ptto oUL 
uvrareg ‘re SBUuISO:) “rpour om snaOA pus ‘ounjog SurWINjor 0} porORG 
nunsng ‘rasuno0d omy sn{tNy 
oareuny ‘11equig 10 eg 
preuoy ‘snonsny ‘toul8D “3g 


“srunypy pus ‘minjeg ‘snue, 0} poloEg 
‘xoutnbo [BuUmMyne oY,T, 


ueumepy ‘epooyy, ‘snurry adog | ‘SoUreS UBISUDIIID dIY,T, “SNTWOVING 07 Zurpioo08 ‘smysnsny jo Aep-yig 
ueiomugy ‘OOLITe 

ory ‘opsode om Moyvy ‘Ig | ‘Shep noy Jo ooeds} 
suprownar ieee adog | om 10f ENBOIOPY OYE, “WoeyNT 0} Furpi0098 ‘snmnmoy jo Aep-quig 
I “eiqry Ut uns 
“Surux08ur ory Ut Sostr OYIds 8,UTdITA, 


“jos sa08Ig pu OSIY “TIaIlA Jo PLO 


snusnbeg ‘snuenuese 

ydosor ‘yoor10,7 ‘snIpoToy 

equinjos ‘umoxy “yazaquie'T 
uvddg ‘eyyipoy ‘Bony “"SMOTTRAS O17} JO) 

SOpoULooINy jrBaip om uyor | omjredop oy, ‘s4ep oay ponurjuod qorya. ‘soured ye015 10 ‘uBUIOY OYLT, 
SSO1Q) [OH yyexg ‘auuegyeg =| *royrdng 03) * “soS1OY JO [BI OY,T, 
snijumepy ‘sujoury ‘snisojngy | paloeg *poudwy om) Jo MonadIpap oy F, ‘sNAavjo O43 SOHLHS JO}MIg on. 

snoqry ‘Ang ‘oprMsuegy 
snyjutoe dy ‘suoneg ‘snj01g 
euoYong ‘sNtAyug “UTUL AA 
suueuisg ‘uviery “EW Ig 
‘WA ‘@ Jo oureu pur Ayrane Ny 
putdoy ‘uvung ‘projo 
eiog ‘Buy Jo oquing 
puvjaly Jo ory ‘united “3S 
epy “Waquing “IG JO UOHL]suesy, ‘sfep 4ys10 10J soures uBUIOY 
SHisUOBYy SnpRMey WONsUBT IS “ANYDOVGY JO Mouoy Ut Speanjsoy 10 ‘eisAUOIT 
enjeng ‘uoydoyg urs *pryedooiy pue Auojuy “JY 10A0 snjsnsny Jo A10701A [BABA 
snduy ‘snurmng ‘setp 9S ‘ounjdoyy 0} sseo,g “sojoBUITRYY 1oqIdnL 07 poloRg 


*SOSUL OSTA JO O[PpTUr Olf,T, 
‘saSi1 BSNPOPY JO PROr OU.L, 


-yatsndse, sujty, Aq woy2} Wopesniog 
“SSI JBOH) OUT, 
*“sngoig, 0} po1oeg 


“YPANYH UHL'T 10 YSTMOY 
> at Jo 
‘oop ‘sheng seg 
ee 
“uea[nA jo uonosoad oj 1epuUn— ARAMA LIAS 


“SUBWIOY JWOIOUB OY) JO “029 ‘STUATISA,T 


“180 Spud 


‘T80 TAX 
"0 'O INAX 
“qdog Bnqipy 
snp] OIplig 
snpy [II 
snpl Al 

snpy A 

snpl IA 

snpy TA 
enpy THA 
dag sluON, 
stuoN eIpud 
seuoN JIT 
sRUON AT 
“ydog “18D 


“UOPY UBUIOY 


quo1oue 
ayy jo shed 


RARRKRAARARRAS 


5 


ANCIENT ROMAN CALENDAR. 


A Eee 


unyiog “Suedyjo Aq “unumey ‘B09 SHINO ‘eo o1pud | Te 
snypoonpy ‘snUvUELOS ‘ENO *PayOs0SUOD BOW “HNUUINIOA JO MII0y OIL, TO TIL) oF 
JOD “ansB19x0 NY TO AL) 66 
sopsodo oy Opne pun voUrTE yg *HOLOVHA AT HROY OTF, TOA] 8 
unqqy ‘uenqsoli "yy *ALOJOTA JO SOURED TOTA| LB 
upoyy ‘unonry ‘sngaLAgy TPO ITA | 9% 
sung ‘unrurdsry ‘Uden | *oxv A 04 Burpzrooor ‘yjUOW sIIy UT poyMIqoTAD O1OA\ SMUUINILO A JO MLAOy OIL, ‘MO TILA | 9% 
xo ‘0x10 An) ‘ano "18D XL] 
snnuudy oropooy.y, 10j0q AOGIY 0} porous poy sHA\ WOW sry) Ur Anp y TRO X | &% 
OTT ‘HEABUOG ‘oyun Ny POIX | % 
UUUfE VOLUTTT “BNeL/) ‘WO WX | 1S 
eniqosing ‘unpry ‘snMOWy *posoJJO O1OM KOOyUONK OY] HOM aulin] *oldioog ur ung "O TIIX | 06 
urqaey “CxO UMOLY JO 199g | Aopun pornoddy ojdood op {We urosoY ‘ouLOY qv [oATsoy 10 SMNFAIENT UY T8O AIX | 61 
HOUOW WaIfodUDAS OY) ONT “1oyaLOqIT Topp 04 poroug T8O AX | &T 
sipnaysny ‘oyo1g Jo aoapuy ‘PO TAX | LI 
snyjwy ‘uyrouturn Hy wii} “S108 HHinjory ‘sound snjndog | “AON "DO TAX] OT 
snrordsopy ‘no0,7, “B8010,7, : *AMMOIOW! OF SjUBYOsOLE OY T, "JO Snqipy | ST 
preyoing ‘uoynuog *s]0[d9 IATA STO] SOpy OrpUld | PT 
JOSHOFUOD O1 PAVMPEE “| PUG KUYDIUNOY JtOIT) PouOpE sUNMOY, OT UTOLOYA [RANsoy Lo MaMUTOS, sOPL Tt | er 
yo, jo doystq PUgTLMA. OULOY 0} WAN B.SNINANY JO UOKBAOWOUIUOD UF [BAT SO 10 “HIpHyANsNYy | SnpT AT] ot 
AOULOE ‘snqoig ‘snyourny, | ‘oovod Suyysiquyso 10450) *ZOUUTM JO JUOUUOOUOUIHOL) supra | tt 
snuynug ‘uosuypug Jo uyor “VALOUIPY 07 [WATSOY 10 “OTLOYdOoRE, SnpL TA | oT 
urDysing ‘snuruaO Cy “KOSTA DUOIOLZ UT IN{8 WYALAq] SOPpT TIA | 6 
uopomg Jo soapiag HIOYL IS | ONT, "suoruDduLo9 sIY puB snoseyy, JO InoUoY ut POANsoy 10 “nisdounsg anpy WA] 8 
snoonyy ‘yO ‘yay, odog WOO SIUON | L 
Hopi 10 (HI ‘oun g, ‘sOUDUL Spos OY) OF poroNg | sDUOAY OIpI | 
BBE ‘BNP *PAIGIYXe KOOL JO syuoUrBUAO ayy SHUON TIT | & 
STOUR ‘ULApe Bury ‘uomuny ; *BULWAOUL OY} UI 80H SOOO sHuON Al | ¥ 
otndoory oy aniaduolg 48 snuoN A | £ 
sunipinnd-josun oy} JO WSVOT ‘ SUUON TA | & 
onug ‘Arasoy oy) JO [VANS PO THD | T 
“YomnyDY upyery 10 yYaru108 ‘INuoy uBWoy 29 
7 apa ed *SUDULOY JOIOUT OY} JO ‘oOap ‘sTBATISOMT quoroue | 8 
‘ory ‘shag surg oy Jo shay Fo 


ANCIENT ROMAN CALENDAR. 


352 


-2g ‘sosreyy ‘opsode oy; morpuy 
10d) pogpry ‘snuminjeg 
sedunod ayy uaydayg 
snuxay ‘puBpory JO [SILA 
190g ‘1ul}ozzeg ‘priuop‘uodINy 
Snusmg ‘ouueqeD 
BIOL ‘B8019 oy) Jo UYOL Ig 
}IVUL oy} queMe[Q odog 
uowertyg ‘viddy ‘Apioag 38 
‘WA ‘a JO UonRAseIg 
Ba ayy punupsy Bury 
mvopng ‘uenuog adog 
epiteT ‘opo ‘snaydty 
ueusy ‘enSinqoumuy,y £4 ale) 
snieyong ‘punwpyy 
sniuasug ‘nojorp ‘prodoery 
uyqnd Jo ‘qde eouemery 
shui ‘eolug ‘snoepig "39 
-IN ‘utaiqory ‘utarry ‘unseyy edog 
snq} ‘snuuayy ‘unsey 
snuisoiqy ‘sayy, ‘snisne 
vourg ‘ouurA ‘ULNYeA, “IS 
S19YJO1G PAUMOIO INOJ al, T, 
PHyuoI AA ‘PIOIGITLAA 
DOUTAA ‘jLULIeY Oy} prBuOETT 
SaffeyD Jo ssaqqe arposog 
unjsuug ‘snip ‘s1oiTA 
‘moj ‘apuyeuraa ‘Ayouey 4S 
Premuny) = aaeain, ‘smog [IV 
Arey ‘snudiueg ‘syureg |[V¥ 


"YOINYH uyery 10 ys 
oy} Jo 
‘ory ‘shu sjureg 


*younyn[g 
0} Surpiosoe ‘uinioy unlwog oy) Jopun wos Sap syoo1g puv 
s[Nes) Ol} 10J spod [oUssUt oy} 0} OpeUL OLOM SOOyTIOVS TUOUT SI} Uy 


‘sop og Jo oovds oy} 10J sNYDOV| Jo MOUOY Ut speANsoy Jo ‘eIpoUMIg 


‘sjos sndory “tyesoqiry = ‘outdioso1g pus oynfg 03 pores 
“498 [[Ng OY} JO Sus0Y OUT, 

“JOOP IOI oy} Jo mouoy ur synuod oy yo s9oddng 
‘SHUBYOBG ULUNg ‘shUp 0014} 10J SHIBOIOWY OUT, 


“UIOD IOJ OUIT-paes Jo pua otf,T, 
sskep 001g) 1oy ‘sniulojang OF Surps0doe ‘snosIy oy} Ul souNs UBIqelT 
‘s[oLanq uay)Bel{ Ped soruour) “sas JO [UII] OUT, 
-0.100 ol) ut ‘spos ey} 0} sjonbueq yerouny yo Sutpuesds v 10 ‘vruieysO0"] 


*s]98 MYINA “AVL “PI “TA oy) 119 dn ynys or seas oy,7, 


“yYsT] IM9[O B YA sostI OId109g 
*s}UOMBUIO JO UONIqiyxe uy 


aunjdony JO snouoy UT S;BANS9y 10 ‘aypunidoyy 

*yjuouL amp ul dozing jo ysvej uWefog 

*SUIUIOUL OY} Ul SOSA BPNOIPIT 

*s]08 sn] Bcd ye s}08 sninjoly 
-nvy, JO pray oyy, ‘somes uvisusog oyy, *ieydne jo yonbueq oy,7, 


*SUBLUOY JUSTIOUB OY} JO ‘2p ‘s]BATIEO,T 


‘9D SPH ry 
‘0 Til 
‘TO AI} 8% 
TOA) Lb 
TEOTA| 96 
TRO TIA] 3 
TO TIA] % 
‘80 XI g 
eal e 
‘180 1X | 0% 
‘180 1X | 6 
180 AIX | 8I 
‘T8O AX| LT 
TSOTAX] 9T 
‘TRO TIAX | ST 
‘20g ‘OMIAX| #1 
“AON Snqipy | ET 
snpy orpug | SL 
enpl ir 11 
snpl AT| OT 
tpl A| 6 
nprIA| 8 
snp tA | L 
enpiTita | 9 
‘AON STUONT | C 
swuony O1pud | # 
svuON IT | & 
SBUON AL | @ 
‘son 1D | T 
nnuoy urmoy | 2D 
is uorour@ 23 
ayy Jo shu ro 


*BuBig jo uonoojoid ay) JEpUN—" WAAWAAON 


353 


ANCIENT ROMAN CALENDAR. 


aquin[oy ‘1oyseaTAg odog 
snuixeyy ‘eisduy ‘snuiqas 
Arnqiojunyg jo *dqn seuoyy, ag 
snisisiQ ‘syuav0uNy Afoy ONT, 
qdvry py ‘epsode oy) uyor 
IAyrau ysiy oy) uoYydorg Ig 
-snuy ‘ouesng ‘Aup snansiyg 
01804 | oyojodg jo A1080.09 
Oya) JO sAjnU Oy ‘snpNAsog 
LAD ‘enrpoyopy ‘uouAyosy 
osingpe ‘opsode ayy seuroyy, 
snquoxoritfe ‘snaqery yo [neg 
buRyUNg ‘uOWeLO 
-o7 ‘snyny ‘peqoura, ‘unyTs 
snuz| nosog ‘snidudjO 
snunog ‘oprajapy ‘opy 
UUT] J 10 aoudIO] yy Ssniqosniy 
(suOINT ‘UorpLtds 
Tour ueqny ‘oopor 
muoi0g ‘Aioype A ‘enyooundsy 
uUHOs ‘unrosnyy ‘snseME” “IB 
‘eryoyng ‘sopeiyojoyy odog 
NAA ‘RIpRoo0o'y “Igy 
‘W A ‘& J° worndoou0g 
BAD YOANyo orf) JO “AG Osorquy 
Banng ‘Ryuoery ‘sRoyorNy 
snyoory ‘wurdsi,) ‘sequy 
BLIpuBxXefy jo JUMWIAT; 
oI) JO opsode s9lARy sounds 
sOLpuy) WURIqI 
Aor 10 snap 1S 


*qomnyQ UNnery 10 ysr0y 
. ayy yo 
‘aap ‘whuq sjumg 


*8}08 BTNOLUBD 
*sjos apinby 

“sAUp o01y) OJ snqwMYyY 0} posovg 

*sostr urydiog 

“OONS[OR AOJUT AA *DIVOUNAG? OY JO pu oT, 
*sojpuoang Ipury oy, 
soudng JO Mag, OUT, 
“SORT OY} OF poyRoIpop waliay 
“BITBAIG, OUT, “vymuososuy 
‘sdep omy Suysuy “euaypseg 
*sdQ Jo Inoupy ut speatysey 10 ‘uipLdG 

‘sos snudd;y ‘“usooudny ur ung 

‘sKBD OAY 10y ‘UNS JO InouoY UT s[VAHses 10 “VYHUINyag 


“8108 JOON) O1,7,] 
“UHUOINBT JO MOUOY OT SBANSey “RIyRUUOANDTT 

“BIpeyduLo” OT, 
POXIGT OUIAL YIM BNUOA PUB so[NoAOFT OF, 
*1070M YM) 


*BUUIOUL Oly Ul 8O8TA JODURD [Py “BIfonsUOg 
‘snyoong jo douoY Ur spBATsey 10 “OIpRUINAgT 


*sooni-asioy 10 ‘aiambop 

“utsoq shup unmoAoyeyy Uoojnoy ond, 
*"SNTUOSY JO ANOUoY Ur speAysos 10 ‘uIWUOSY 
‘sI[Denp OuNP 0} poroRg 

“OUTULOUL Oty) Ul sosta BMby 

“8)08 SHLD WOE 70 O[PPUAL 

‘snuney Jo anouoy ur vars do Sereuntyy 
*RAIOUTY puv ounjdayy 04 poroug 


*OUNIIO,T O[BUIO,T JO [BATIBOT 
*SUDULOY JUOIOUT OY} Jo ‘o2y ‘spoATSoyT 


“RISOA JO VONO0Id Om LOEPUQ—" YT AW ATOAA 


“1D opi 
1B) Ti 
‘18D AT 

POA 
‘TRO TA 
“18D TIA 
“TO SILA 
WO XI 
WO X 
“WO 1X 
TO TX 
“WO TTX 
TO AIX 
TRO AX 
‘WO TAX 
‘TO TAX 
‘TO TMAX 
“unt Te) XIX 

“ood Suqipy 

EMD Stpitd 
Supy WY 
9 a 

supL A 

BEDI TA 
SPT ITA 
SnD] ITA 
*OO([ SIUO NT 
SRUON OIptig 
sBUON ITI 
SUNON AT 
“00 "18D 


quoroun 
oy) Jo shay 


~ 


OBSERVATIONS 


On the Progresswve Improvement of the Roman Calendar ; 
from the Days of Romulus, about 730 Years before Christ, 
to the present Tome. 


303 


The Roman Catxenpar, before the time of Julius Cesar, was 
very defective ; in the reign of Romulus, the first king of Rome, the 
science of astronomy was so little understood in Italy, that the ca- 
lendar was made to consist of fen months, and the year of only 304 
days. The names of the ten months were in order as follows :— 
March, April, May, June, Quintilis, Sextilis, September, October, 
November, December. Besides the 304 days, Romulus is said to 
have intercalated days without name, to make up the number of 360: 
but whether this was the case, or in what way these days were in- 
tercalated, cannot be determined ; as history, with reference to this 
point, is extremely obscure. The months of March, May, Quintilis, 
and October, contained 31 days each; and the other six, only 30 
days each; as may be seen in the following table, which exhibits the 
state of the Roman Calendar about 730 years previously to the 
Incarnation : 


March} April Quint. | Sext, | Sept. | Oct. 
Cal. Cal. Cal. Cal. Cal. Cal. 
VI Iv VI IV Iv VI 
Vv Ti Vv m It Vv 
IV Prid Iv Prid. |Prid. \IV 
It Non. Tit Non, |Non. jE 
Prid. |VIl Prid. {VOL |VUE |Prid. 
Non. |VIt Non. |VIE Vit Non. 
vin’ {VI Vin {VI VI Vitt 
vi |v Vit Vv Vv VIT 
VI IV VI IV Iv VI 
Vv Ti Vv It bags Vv 
Iv Prid. IV Prid. |Prid. |TV 
Ill Id. m1 Ta. Id. T1 
Prid. |XVIO Prid. |XVUL |XVUI |Prid. 
Td. XVII Ta: XVI jXVI {id. 
XVII |X XVI |XVI {XVI /|XVII 
XVI {XV XVI |XV xv XVI 
XV {XIV XV XIV |XIV jxXV" ° 
XIV (|/XIIT Xi «|X = j|XIV 
XIlt {XI XUT 2 {XTE * p 
xl =(|XI XII {XI XI pais 
XI x XI x x XI 
D.¢ 1X ».¢ Ix Ix x 
Ix VIIT 1X vir =|VIEg =j|IX 
Wit = j|VIt Vit |VIE Vir | Vint 
NIL A VIE VIL VI VI vil 

i VI Vv VI Vv Vv VI 
iV IV Vv IV Vv Vv 

jIv HI IV sons Im IV 
| IT Prid. Itt Prid. |Prid. \Ut 


z 
x 


Farther observations on the Roman Calendar. 355 


Tn the reign of Numa Pompilius, the second king of the Romans, 
the Calendar was very much improved. This monarch, by means 
of the instructions he received from Pythagoras, the prince of the 
Italian philosophers, adopted very nearly the same kind of year 
which the Greeks then used ; with this principal exception, that he 
assigned to every one of his years 355 days, which is one day more 
than the Grecian and Rabbinical years usually contained. The re- 
formation of the Calendar of Romulus, consisted in taking away one 
day from April, June, Sextilis, September, November, and Decem- 
ber; (the day after the Ides of these months, being named the xviith 
before the Calends of the ensuing one,) and then adding these six 
days to the 51 which the year of Romulus wanted, to make up his 
own of 355 days: with these 57 days he made two new months, viz. 
January and February, the former of which was the first, and the 
other the last month of his year; assigning to the former 29 and to 
the latter 28 days. In order to make his year equal to that which 
the Greeks used in their Olympiads, Numa is said to have interca- 
lated 82 days in every eight years, in the following manner—At the 
end of the first two years, an intercalation of 22 days; at the end of 
the next two, an intercalation of 23 days; at the end of the third 
two, an intercalation of 22 days; and at the end of the last two, an 
intercalation of the remaining 15 days. 

The Calendar of Numa Pompilius, (with the slight variation in it 
at the time of the Decemviri, about 452, B.C. which consisted in 
constituting February the second instead of the last month,) con- 
tinued in use among the Romans till the time of Julius Cesar, who, 
perceiving the great inconveniences that resulted from not making 
the civil year equal in length to the solar revolution through the 12 
signs of the zodiac, employed Sosigenes of Alexandria, (esteemed the 
greatest astronomer of his time,) to reform the Calendar in such a 
way that the seasons of the year might perpetually correspond to the 
same months. As, according to the calculations of Sosigenes, the 
solar ecliptical revolution took up about 365 days six hours, it was 
found necessary to lengthen the civil year at least ten days, making 
it to consist of 365 days, instead of 355; and to make a proper - 
pensation for the six hours which the solar year exceeds 365 dayigy 
every fourth year was proposed to be an intercalary one, containing; 
366 days. Julius Cesar, by public edict, accordingly ordered these 
corrections to be made; and the Calendar, thus corrected, is the 
same as that already given in the preceding Table, with the Festi- 
vals, &c. of the ancient Romans. In consequence of the ignorance 
of the priests, a considerable error was committed in the first 36 
years after the Julian reformation of the Calendar ; for the priests 
imagined that the fourth year in which the intercalation should be 
made was to be computed from that in which the preceding interca- 
lation took place, by which means they left only two common years 
instead of three between the two intercalary ones. Consequently, 
twelve days, instead of nine, were intercalated in 36 years, an error 
too considerable to escape the notice of the Augustan age: and, 
accordingly, the emperor directed that no intercalation should be 


Farther observations on the Roman Calendar. 357 


made for the first twelve years, that the three superfluous days might 
be gradually dropped ; and that the intercalations should be after- 
ward regulated in such a manner that three common years should 
continually intervene. This last alteration of the Calendar con- 
tinued without any interruption till the pontificate of Gregory XIII. 
in the latter part of the 16th century, when he gave orders that the 
Roman Calendar should be again reformed. 

The necessity of this reformation originated in Sosigenes assigning 
precisely 365 days six hours, for the sun’s passage through the twelve 
signs of the zodiac; instead of 365 days, five hours, and 48 minutes, 
and 48 seconds, as ascertained by the more perfect observations of 
modern astronomers. The error of Sosigenes, of about eleven mi- 
nutes in the length of the solar year, amounts to a whole day in 134 
years, insomuch that from the council of Nice, in A. D. 325, to the 
time of Gregory XIII., ten days too many had crept into the Calen- 
dar, the vernal equinox which, in 325, was fixed on the 2ist of 
March, happening in 1582, on the 11th, though the Calendar con- 
stantly placed it on the 2ist. 

To remedy this defect, Pope Gregory ordered that ten days should 
be suppressed in the almanac of 1582, the 5th of October being de- 
nominated the 15th, as in these days fewer festivals occurred than in 
any other fen consecutive days in the year; and to prevent the re- 
currence of this error for the future, it was directed by a public 
bull, that every three ceniurial years out of four, after A. D. 1600, 
(which in the Julian calendar are leap-years,) should be only com- 
mon years of 365 days each. Thus 1700, 1800, and 1900, are styled 
common years, 2000 a bissextile, 2100, 2200, and 2300, common 
years, 2400 a bissextile, &c. &c. 

By this last correction of the Calendar, the Gregorian year is so 
nearly commensurate with the revolution of the earth round the 
sun, that an error of a day cannot be made in less than 3,600 years. 
If the intercalations be made according to the calculations of the 
late M. de Ja Lande, and other eminent astronomers of the last and 
present centuries, an error of a day need not be committed in less 
than a million of years! ; 
* e papal bull, by which this alteration is made, is thus intituled : 

Constitutio Gregorii Pape XIII. pro approbatione et introdue- 
tione novi Kalendarii ad usum universe Ecclesie Romane; qué, 
inter plura cetera precipit et mandat, ut de mense Octobris hujus 
anni 1582, decem dies inclusive a 111 Nonarum usgue ad Pridie Idus 
ezimantur, et dies qui festum S. Francisct IV Nonas celebrari solitum 
sequitur, dicatur Idus Qctobris. Datum Tusculi, Anno inéarnationis 
Dom. 1582, sexto Kal. Martii, Pontif. sui anno X. 

“ The Constitution of Pope Gregory XIII. for the approval and 
introduction of the New Calendar for the use of the Romish Church 
universally ; in which, among many other things, he decrees and 
commands, that ten days be struck off from the month of October of 
this present year 1582: namely, from the third of the Nones, (Oct. 
5.) to the day before the Ides (Oct. 14,) both inclusive ; and that the 
day which follows the festival of St. Francis, usually celebrated as 


b 


Farther observations on the Roman Calendar. 357 


the rvih of the Nones, should be called the Ides of October. Given 
at Tusculum, in the year of the incarnation of our Lord, 1582, on 
the sixth of the Calends of March, (Feb. 24,) and inthe tenth year of 
his Pontificate.”” See Suppl. au Corps Diplomatique, Tome II. Part 
I. pp. 187, 188. 

This alteration of the Calendar was not adopted by the British till 
1752, in which year, the day after the second of September was 
called Sept. 14. All the nations of Europe have adopted this mode 
of reckoning except the Russians, who follow the Julian account, 
introduced among them by Peter the Great, instead of the Con- 
stantinopolitan era by which their chronology had been previously 
regulated. 

The Commentator should make an apology to his readers for the 
introduction of the preceding Tables and Calculations; as having, 
apparently, but little relation to the subject of the Epistle to the 
Romans: but the very obvious ufility of what is here inserted, wil! 
more than plead his excuse. e 


ly pat ee natty { 
‘ide aia 
tan | Petty fe aie 


(paar Nahiia'ss . 


tas Lh) aval 


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_ DATE DUE 


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Beas 
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ME te 
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bi 


DEMCO 38-297 


